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No.  148  Lab?.  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois. 


PURPLES'  EDITION 


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1856, 


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*%*Wm»»»W „  ,  ,  „.  ,  ^^^r. 


TO 

THE  YOUNG  MEN  OF  IOWA, 

INTO  WHOSE  HANDS  WILL,  ERE  LONG,  BE  ENTRUSTED  THE  DESTINT 

OF  OUR  YOUNG  STATE,  AND  BY  WHOM  HER  FREE  SOIL,  HER 

BOUNDLESS    RESOURCES,  AND    HER  REPUBLICAN 

INSTITUTIONS,  ARE    SOON  TO    BE  DEVE- 

LOPED, CONTROLLED,  IMPROVED, 

AND  PERPETUATED, 

THIS  BOOK  IS  RESPECTFULLY 


THAT    THEY    PROVE    WORTHY    OF    THE    SACRED    TRUST,    NEVBE 

SWERVING   FROM   THE    PATH    OF   DUTY,  AND   THAT   THEY 

EXERT  THEIR  PREROGATIVES  AS  FREEMEN,  TO  AD- 

VANCE    INTO    AN    EVER-EXPANDING    PROSPE- 

RITY THE  NOBLE  STATE  WHOSE  HELM 

THEY    HOLD,    IS    THE    DESIRE 

AND  HOPE  OF 

THE  AUTHOR. 


83G69O 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Early  history  and  accession  of  territory  —  organization  — 

boundaries,  area,  etc 17 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  climate 20 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  soil 22 

CHAPTER  IV. 

General  appearance  of  the  prairies 25 

CHAPTER  V. 

Iowa  scenery — the  bluffs,  etc 28 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Rivers  and  their  tributaries 32 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Timber-lands 33 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Geology  of  Iowa 37 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Population — immense  immigration  of  1854 54 

CHAPTER  X. 

General  remarks 66 

CHAPTER  XL 
Instructions  to  the  new-comer  respecting  the  selection,  entry, 

or  purchase  and  cultivation  of  prairie  lands 75 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Sketches  by  travelling  contributors  —  a  stranger's  impres- 
sions, etc 78 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Railroads 89 

1*  (v) 


vj  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Railroad  distances  on  the  various  lines,  connecting  Chicago 

•with  the  State  of  Iowa 97 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Statistics J 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Description  of  Counties 107 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Description  of  Counties — continued 138 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Description  of  Counties — continued 151 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Description  of  Counties— continued 166 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Description  of  Counties — concluded 177 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Western  Iowa  and  Nebraska 194 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Public  Lands — System  of  Surveys 205 

CHAPTER  XXIH. 
Constitution  of  the  State  of  Iowa 207 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

State  Officers  and  Congressmen,  from  the  admission  into  the 
Union  to  the  present  time 235 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Judicial  Districts.     Times  of  Holding  Courts 239 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Education 245 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Religious  Worship 258 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Benevolent  Societies 267 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Public  Improvements 270 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

List  of  Post  Offices  in  Iowa,  arranged  alphabetically  in 
Counties t' 275 


PREFACE. 


AFTER  a  careful  arrangement  of  information  compiled  by 
piecemeal,  during  a  twelvemonth  passed  in  the  editorial  chair, 
and  during  that  period  subjected  to  constant  revision  and 
pruning — after  the  receipt  from  the  several  counties  in  our 
State,  of  the  latest  statistical  intelligence  relating  to  each — 
and  as  the  general  result  of  two  year's  attentive  study — it 
is  that  the  Author  has  been  enabled  to  prepare  his  work  for 
the  public  eye.  He  is  aware  that  an  occasional  error  may 
have  crept  into  it,  or  that  here  and  there  a  piece  of  informa- 
tion may  have  been  omitted,  but  he  trusts  and  believes  that 
the  pains  he  has  taken  to  avoid  these  have  not  been  in  vain, 
and  that  if  any  are  found,  they  will  be  as  few  as  possible, 
and  in  no  case,  of  great  importance. 

It  is  the  design  and  aim  of  the  Author  in  presenting  his 
book  to  the  public,  to  supply  a  want  that  has  long  been  felt, 
and  which  is  being  daily  expressed,  as  well  by  the  present 
resident  in  Iowa,  as  by  the  countless  throng  still  pouring 
westward,  and  the  thousands  in  the  crowded  East,  whose 
thoughts  and  aspirations  turn  towards  us. 

Iowa  holds  out  to  the  emigrant  inducements  such  as  no 
other  State  in  our  Union  can  boast,  nor  is  any  other  at  this 
day  being  so  largely  flooded  by  the  onward  tide  of  immigra- 
tion. Her  resources  are  inexhaustible,  her  advantages  are 
beyond  the  scope  of  calculation,  and  her  claims  upon  the 
attention  of  every  class  and  sex  of  the  energetic,  the  in- 
dustrious and  the  ambitious,  are  as  peremptory  as  they  are 
vast.  Yet  is  there  a  deplorable  scarcity  of  such  published 
information  as  shall  set  forth  these  latent  sources  of  wealth. 

fvii) 


via  p  E  E  F  A  o  E . 

The  eastern  traveller  and  emigrant ;  the  western  resident  — 
whether  he  be  but  a  new-comer,  or  whether  he  has  risen  to 
fortune  in  our  midst  —  and  the  State  itself,  require  such  an 
exposition  as  the  Author  has  attempted  in  the  following 
pages.  If  he  has  succeeded  in  representing,  according  to  its 
deserts,  "  Iowa,  as  it  is  in  1856"  —  if  his  task  shall  tend  to 
throw  a  light  over  the  immigrant's  path,  or  to  erect  a  guide- 
board  upon  his  way — if  his  work  will  serve  to  eradicate  or 
lessen  whatever  of  misconception  or  of  prejudice  may  have 
existed  in  the  minds  of  strangers — if,  as  the  fruit  of  his  labors, 
he  shall  be  able  to  induce  others  to  join  the  mighty  host  that 
even  now  is  swarming  to  Iowa's  fertile  fields  —  if,  in  fine,  he 
has  been  able  to  place  Iowa  before  the  world,  in  its  true  light, 
and  to  assign  to  it  that  lofty  rank  among  the  States  which 
it  must  attain  and  forever  hold — he  will  feel  that  he  has  not 
fallen  short  of  the  elevated  goal  of  his  ambition,  and,  in  the 
consciousness  of  a  duty  fulfilled  will  reap  a  golden  reward. 

And  here  the  Author  feels  called  upon  to  express  the 
gratitude  he  feels  towards  those  to  whom  he  has  applied  for 
information.  With  scarcely  an  exception,  he  has  met  with 
prompt  and  kindly  answers,  and  an  earnest  co-operation. 
And  while  thus  returning  his  thanks,  he  would  ask  of  those 
who  have  aided  him  heretofore,  as  well  as  of  any  who  may 
bestow  their  attention  upon  his  book,  to  further  assist  him, 
and  whenever  they  may  detect  aught  that  is  erratic,  or 
discover  any  omission,  to  inform  him  in  the  matter,  that 
he  may  be  able,  in  future  editions  to  rectify  the  one  and  fill 
up  the  other. 

IOWA,  May,  1865. 


INTRODUCTION. 


STILL  fresh  in  the  memories  of  a  few  of  her  citizens,  is  the 
time  when  Iowa  was  one  vast  wilderness.  Her  land  untilled, 
her  groves  unpeopled,  and  her  mighty  rivers  flowing  unim- 
peded —  unadmired,  by  art  or  eye  of  man,  she  donned  her 
verdant  robes,  and  decked  her  fields  with  flowers  on  each  re- 
turning spring,  as  if  to  woo  the  distant  husbandman,  and 
when  chill  autumn  came,  she  shrank  again  into  the  sere  and 
withered,  waiting,  patient  still,  and  still  with  hope.  She 
heard  the  Indian  hunter's  shot  resound  amid  her  solitude ; 
she  held  the  imprint  of  his  step  upon  the  yielding  surface 
of  her  soil ;  she  watched  him  crawl  to  his  wigwam  home,  and 
lay  him  down  to  slothful  rest,  to  dream  of  the  ravage  or  the 
hunt.  She  saw  him  wake  from  sleep,  and  gird  about  his 
loins  the  savage  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife,  while  piercing 
war-whoops  rang  from  dell  to  dell,  and  whistling  balls  and 
rolling  thunders  shook  the  air  above,  and  bathed  the  blazing 
fields  in  gore.  She  heard  the  red  man's  cry  of  death  —  the 
white  man's  shout  of  victory.  And  then  her  streams  and 
fields  —  her  hills  and  waving  woodlands — joined  in  one  vast 
choral  hymn,  when  banners  were  furled,  and  arms  were  lain 
to  rest,  and  Peace  snatched  the  sceptre  from  the  wearied  God 
of  War. 

(ix) 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

Then,  soon,  throughout  the  land,  a  lamentation  rose.  The 
red  man  stretched  his  form  upon  the  earth,  and  bathed  the 
sod  with  tears.  He  bade  a  long  farewell  to  hunting-ground 
and  river-bank  —  to  bluff  and  valley,  where  transcendent 
beauty  held  her  court,  or  uttered  a  parting  wail  beside  the 
graves  of  his  fathers — the  mounds  of  his  nation's  slumbering 
chiefs.  Here,  from  year  to  year,  had  successive  generations 
learned  to  kneel — here  had  their  voices  risen  annually,  in 
strains  of  mourning  and  of  homage,  for  the  loved  or  the  il- 
lustrious dead — here  had  been  their  refuge  in  times  of  sorrow 
or  of  trouble — and  here  had  they  found  a  retreat,  sequestered 
from  the  world,  and  hedged  round  with  a  sacred — an  unpro- 
faned  reverence.  But  although  he  lingered  still — although 
to  leave  these  solemn  scenes  occasioned  him  most  poignant 
grief— called  forth  the  wildest  throes  of  anguish — yet,  inexor- 
able fate  impelled  the  red  man  onward.  Civilization  required 
his  departure ; — the  destiny  of  his  outcast  race  bade  him  fly 
from  before  the  coming  white  man's  face,  and  take  another 
step  towards  that  extinction  which  yawns  before  the  savage 
tribe.  He  raised  his  voice,  once  more,  in  cries  of  anguish, 
then  joined  the  mighty  Ishmaelitish  host,  and,  taking  up  the 
line  of  march,  he  pressed  his  farewell  foot-print  on  his  native 
soil,  and  left  behind  him  on  the  spreading  plains,  the  last 
Indian  trail  of  Iowa. 

E'en  yet  the  heavy  tramp  of  the  banished  nation  sounds 
along  the  western  horizon— e'en  yet  that  horizon  is  blackened 
by  the  forms  of  the  retreating  multitude— when  lo !  upon  the  east 
ft  long  white  line  comes  gleaming  up,  seemingly  rising  out 
of  the  distant  ground.  One  by  one,  like  sails  at  sea,  the 
white-tented  wagons  of  the  immigrant  well  up  into  sight, 
and  soon  we  shall  see  their  occupants  encamped  near  yonder 
grove,  their  tents  gleaming  in  the  moonlight,  and  the  smoke 
of  their  camp-fires  spreading  like  a  protecting  shelter,  above 
their  deep,  untroubled  slumbers.  These  hardy  men,  with 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

their  aged  parents  and  adolescent  families,  moving  onward  in 
the  wake  of  the  expatriated  Indian,  are  the  pioneers  of  lowan 
civilization  —  the  vanguard  of  the  mighty  phalanx  that  is 
yet  to  come. 

The  immigration  to  Iowa  reminds  one  of  the  legendary 
days  of  the  Crusaders.  As  did  the  venturous  knights  of  old, 
the  emigrants  resign  the  endearments  and  luxuries  of  home, 
to  build  up  for  themselves  a  glorious  destiny,  amid  the  wilds 
of  a  strange  land.  They  go  to  rescue  from  the  desolation 
entailed  upon  it  by  savage  hordes,  a  region  stored  with 
Nature's  lavish  gifts ;  and,  as  those  misled  champions  of  the 
cross,  they  sally  forth  in  banded  numbers,  from  every  point 
of  a  civilized  world,  to  meet  in  the  brotherhood  of  a  great 
cause,  on  the  fertile  plains  where  tower  their  mutual  hopes. 
But  here  the  resemblance  ends.  The  valiant  knight  of  old 
went  forth  arrayed  in  all  the  paraphernalia  of  war,  to 
conquer — to  subdue — to  win,  by  fire  and  sword,  a  land  rich 
in  historic  lore  —  a  land  whose  interest  mainly  lay  in  the 
hereditary  annals  of  the  past.  But  the  modern  emigrant 
wends  his  way  to  territories,  whose  history  is  yet  unknown, 
whose  annals  are  yet  unwritten,  whose  value  and  grandeur  lie 
in  the  promises  of  the  future. — The  plough-share  and  the  pru- 
ning-hook  are  his  weapons,  his  companions  are  the  loved  ones 
of  either  sex.  The  Crusader  went  to  tear  down — to  demolish 
— a  dynasty ;  the  emigrant,  to  build  up  a  State.  The  former 
had  history  for  his  guide  —  the  latter  had  a  history  to  frame 
and  write. 

And  nobly  has  he  written  it.  In  the  unexcelled  prosperity 
of  the  land  of  his  adoption  —  in  the  magic  growth  of  her 
cities — upon  her  boundless  prairies,  as  on  a  vast  sheet — has 
he  traced  the  records  of  Iowa's  liberation  from  the  darkness 
of  the  Indian  ages.  And  these  are  records  that  posterity  will 
read  with  pride,  when  the  crumbling  monument  and 


Xii  INTRODUCTION 

mouldering  legend  of  battle  and  of  victory  will  be  as  "  a  tale 
of  days  forgotten." 

,  IOWA  —  once  the  freehold  of  the  tawny  savage  —  is  now  a 
«ivilized  and  settled  State.  Where  once  the  wolf  went 
bounding,  now  waves  the  yellow  corn  ;  and  where  the  owlet 
ooted  to  the  solitude,  the  cabin-smoke  is  floating  on  the  air. 
Wherever  the  highway  winds,  the  ever-recurring  marks  of 
cheerful  industry  —  of  progress  —  of  prosperity — greet  the 
traveller's  eye,  till  one  is  disposed  to  rank  this  State  as 
cotemporary  with  many  of  her  elder  sisters.  The  immigrant 
is  no  longer  called  on  to  endure  the  vicissitudes,  the  hard- 
ships, and  the  dangers  of  a  frontier  life.  At  every  step  ho 
meets  civilization  —  in  many  places,  finds  improvements 
in  the  art  of  farming,  such  as  he  dreamed  not  of  in  his 
Eastern  home ;  and  often  an  old  familiar  face  —  a  friend  who 
had  been  a  neigbor  in  years  gone  by  —  greets  his  arrival. 
Yet,  be  it  not  supposed  that  Iowa  is  full.  Far  from  it ;  still 
•within  her  vast  domain  lie  millions  of  untilled  acres  —  un- 
entered—  untouched  —  unreclaimed  from  primeval  wildness. 
They  await  the  immigrant  —  they  call  to  him  and  bid  him 
come.  Shall  it  be  asked  what  inducements  they  hold  forth 
to  tempt  him,  or  what  resources  they  possess  to  repay  his 
labor?  We  ask,  on  the  other  hand,  what  do  they  not  hold 
forth?  The  fertility  of  the  soil  in  Iowa  is  unsurpassed — not 
merely  by  that  of  her  kindred  States  —  not  merely  in  our 
Union — but  throughout  the  world !  The  black  loam  that  over- 
lies her  prairies,  and  which  varies  in  depth  from  eighteen  to  j-' 
forty-eight  inches,  forms  an  inexhaustible  storehouse  of 
fecundity  and  agricultural  wealth.  It  rests  upon  a  deep 
subsoil  of  clay,  well  fitted  to  retain  moisture ;  and,  during  the 
driest  portions  of  the  year,  this  moisture  reascends  through 
the  surface-muck — thus,  by  a  constant  reaction,  weakening,  if 
not  annulling  the  efiects  of  the  severest  drought.  This  was 
fully  proved  during  the  excessive  aridity  of  1854,  Iowa  having 


INTRODUCTION.  Xlil 

Buffered  less  from  its  effects  than  any  other  State  in  the 
Union,  and  having,  since  then,  been  the  granary  of  that 
Union,  and  supplied  from  her  own  stores  the  exhausted 
markets  of  the  East  and  South.  This  may  sound  in- 
credible—  fabulous;  and  yet,  Iowa,  the  youngest  of  the 
States,  has  actually  accomplished  it  1  I 

Such  are  the  inducements  Iowa  holds  out  to  the  farmer, 
coupled  with  a  promise  to  return  him,  for  immeasurably  less 
labor  than  would  be  required  in  the  East,  an  unsurpassable 
abundance  of  any  and  every  article  which  the  zone  we  live 
in  is  capable  of  producing. 

But  again :  to  the  manufacturer  she  also  cries  come  I  She 
invites  him  to  behold  for  himself  her  immense  coal  regions, 
and  examine  the  qualities  of  the  coal;  to  roam,  hand  in 
hand  with  the  farmer,  over  the  vast  mineral  tracts ;  and  while 
he  admires  the  richness  of  the  mines,  to  let  the  farmer  wonder 
at  the  phenomenon  of  an  exceedingly  fertile  soil,  spread  out 
upon  the  immense  beds  of  lead.  Nor  is  this  all.  —  The 
abundance  of  first-rate  water-power,  and  the  amount  of 
building-stone  everywhere  to  be  found,  offer  such  advantages 
to  the  energetic  manufacturer  as  he  may  elsewhere  seek  in 
vain. 

These  facts  have  but  recently  reached  the  East — and  see 
with  what  avidity  men  of  capital  are  hastening  to  test  these 
boasted  resources.  And  still  the  field  is  open — still  the  coffera 
of  the  earth  are  full,  and  he  may  help  himself  who  will. 

The  poor  and  the  lowly  came  a  few  years  since,  but  now 
the  rich  and  the  lofty  flock  to  Iowa,  as  well  as  they. 
And,  thanks  to  the  enterprise  of  these,  the  colossal  wheel  of 
manufacture  has  already  been  set  in  motion  in  Iowa.  It  re- 
volves as  yet  but  slowly,  and  its  reverberating  strokes  do  but 
send  forth,  as  yet,  prophetic  echoes  throughout  the  State,  that 
tell  what  may — what  can  and  will  be  done.  When  the  Giant 
Spirit  of  Human  Art  shall  have  chained  the  flow  of  Iowa's 
2 


xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

great  central  artery,  and  assumed  the  directing  of  its  course 
— when  the  Mississippi's  waves  shall  foam  and  lash  in  their 
impeded  progress  —  when  the  Missouri's  waters  shall  be 
darkened  by  the  shadows  and  the  smoke  of  mammoth  factories 
— and  when  the  tributary  streams  of  this  great  trio  shall  be 
made  to  join  in  this  work  of  grandeur  and  of  usefulness  — 
then  will  that  Giant  Spirit,  as  he  listens  to  the  ponderous 
humming  of  that  colossal  wheel,  whose  accelerated  revolu- 
tions will  then  keep  time  with  the  pulsations  of  Iowa's  ambi- 
tious heart,  find  a  genial  home  in  the  young,  and  promising^ 
and  vigorous  State.  There  is  in  this  picture  no  fiction — no 
visionary  anticipation :  all  that  we  have  hinted  at,  and  more, 
will  be  realized.  It  requires  no  gift  of  prophecy  to  trace  out 
the  future  path  of  Iowa.  An  observing  eye  —  aided  by  a 
spirit  of  discrimination — need  but  take  the  past  for  a  prece- 
dent— the  present  for  an  earnest — to  draw  a  vast  panorama 
of  prosperity,  such  as  our  Union  has  perhaps  never  witnessed, 
heretofore,  and  yet,  which  Iowa  will  not  fail  to  excel. 

To  the  law-loving  and  the  temperate  —  to  the  enterprising, 
the  vigorous,  the  ambitious  —  she  offers  a  home  and  a  field 
worthy  of  their  noblest  efforts.  Already  has  she  placed  the 
early  adventurer  on  a  throne  of  fortune,  thus  amply  rewarding 
his  courage.  At  this  day  she  points  to  still  loftier  thrones 
and  richer  diadems,  held  in  reserve  as  the  prizes  of  fearless 
energy  —  or  better  still,  throws  open  to  the  world  her  ex- 
haustless  stores  of  wealth,  and  seems  to  say,  "  Behold  your 
reward  1"  And  as  the  multitudinous  throngs  hasten  toward 
these  goals  of  promise— as  they  crowd  with  eager  steps,  and 
work  with  untiring  hands — they  find  that  far  from  becoming 
drained,  her  resources  deepen  and  increase  in  proportion  as 
they  take  from  them  —  not  merely  keeping  pace  with  their 
accumulating  wants,  but  ever  exceeding  them  ;  it  is  even  as 
the  province  of  mind  — the  realms  of  intellect— whose 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

boundaries  still  widen,  and  whose  sphere  continues  to  expand, 
the  further  they  are  explored. 

There  is  an  emigration  that  thins  the  old  and  crowded 
States  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard ;  there  is  an  immigration  that 
peoples  a  new  world,  and  darkens  the  mountain-slope  of 
fortune;  there  is  a  journeying  from  the  old  into  the  new,  of 
the  Pilgrims  of  Industry  and  of  Hope.  But  there  is  a 
mightier  emigration — a  vaster  pilgrimage — than  these.  It  is 
the  march,  onward  and  upward  into  the  Future,  of  Iowa  her- 
self. As  the  immigrant  mother  leads  her  sons  and  daughters 
into  the  undeveloped  paths  of  wealth — as  civilization  elevates 
a  race  out  of  the  sloughs  of  semi-barbarism — as  national  pros- 
perity exalts  a  land — or  as  science  raises  the  human  intellect 
from  darkness  into  dazzling  light — thus  Iowa,  with  rapid 
strides,  ascends  the  precipitous  sides  of  prosperity's  mountain- 
range,  bearing  her  sons  and  daughters  to  loftier,  and  still 
loftier  peaks,  and  revealing  to  their  gaze  still  wider  and  richer 
vistas.  And  the  summit  of  this  range  she  will  never  reach  ; 
for  her  onward  progress  cannot  be  stayed,  until  her  arterial 
streams  are  dry — until  the  agricultural  life-blood  in  her  veins 
has  ceased  to  flow,  until  her  great  metallic  heart  has  been 
emptied.  Upon  the  topmost  summit,  then,  Iowa  will  never 
stand,  for  through  countless  ages  yet  to  come,  her  progress — 
that  must  be  forever  onward — must  be  upward  also. 


INTRODUCTION 
TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


THE  rapid  growth  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  in  population  and 
importance,  the  increasing  interest  in  her  agricultural,  min- 
eralbgical,  and  geological  resources,  manifested  by  the  eager- 
ness with  which  thousands  daily  hasten  thitherward,  as  well 
as  by  the  unprecedented  sale  of  the  first  edition  of  this  work, 
seems  to  demand,  that  if  the  author  would  correctly  portray 
to  the  world  "Iowa  as  it  is,"  he  must  revise,  correct,  and 
enlarge,  or  issue  an  entire  new  volume,  at  least  once  a  year ; 
hence  the  present  edition  appears  before  you. 

This  edition  has  undergone  a  thorough  revision  and  cor- 
rection. The  subject-matter  and  statistics  relative  to  every 
particular  county  in  the  State,  are  correct,  up  to  the  1st  of 
February,  1856.  By  reference  to  the  Table  of  Contents,  it 
will  be  seen  we  have  added  chapters  on  Agriculture,  times  of 
holding  Courts,  a  complete  list  of  Post  Offices  in  the  State, 
and  much  other  valuable  information  not  in  print  elsewhere. 

In  the  beginning,  we  felt  that  such  a  work  was  needed,  and 
the  avidity  with  which  it  has  been  sought  by  the  westward- 
moving  masses,  and  by  all  classes  of  every  State,  has  corro- 
borated that  belief.  We  have  devoted  much  of  the  past  year 
in  procuring  facts  and  statistics,  which  we  herein  publish. 

Confident  in  the  correctness  of  its  statements,  and  antici- 
pating a  like  result  from  its  issue,  we  ask  for  this  the  very 
liberal  patronage  extended  to  our  first  edition. 

N.  H.  P. 

CLINTON,  IOWA,  March  1,  1856. 

(xvi) 


IOWA  AS  IT  IS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY  HISTORY  AND  ACCESSION  OP   TERRITORY — ORGAN- 
IZATION  BOUNDARIES,   AREA,   ETC. 

FOR  centuries  past,  until  the  year  1830,  the  North- 
western Territory,  embracing  all  lands  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, of  which  Iowa  is  now  a  part,  was  in  the  undisputed 
possession  of  various  tribes  of  Indians;  and  the  cultivated 
fields  of  the  open  prairie,  the  bluff-site  of  the  magnificent 
residence,  the  ground  upon  which  are  now  erected  our  halls 
of  justice  and  houses  of  worship,  was,  but  a  few  short  years 
since,  the  battle-fields  of  numerous  Indian  tribes,  contend- 
ing for  the  possession  of  this  beautiful  and  fertile  soil,  upon 
which  each  so  freely  shed  the  blood  of  their  contending 
foes.  The  hills,  valleys,  rivers,  and  prairies  of  Iowa,  have 
witnessed  the  most  bloody  conflicts  ever  fought  by  the 
savages  of  this  continent,  as  the  numerous  bone-strewn 
battle-fields  well  testify.* 

*  The  fertile  plains  of  our  present  Iowa  were  first  discovered 
in  1673,  by  a  French  exploring  expedition  from  Canada,  and  were 

2*  (17) 


18  ORGANIZATION. 

The  territory  embraced  within  the  bounds  of  Iowa  has 
been  purchased  by  four  different  treaties.  The  first  was 
made  in  1832  —  commonly  called  "  the  Black-Hawk  Pur- 
chase ;"  the  second  in  1836,  the  third  in  1837,  and  the 
fourth  and  last  in  1842. 

The  oldest  settlement  in  the  State  is  Dubuque ;  which, 
as  a  trading-post,  is  identified  with  the  Frenchman  whose 
name  it  perpetuates.  At  about  the  same  period,  in  1832, 
Galena  was  a  village,  and  Fort  Madison  and  Bellevue 
military  posts.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1833,  several  com- 
panies of  whites  crossed  from  Illinois  into  Iowa  in  tho 
vicinity  of  Burlington.  From  this  period  the  progress  and 
extension  of  settlements  have  been  rapid,  and  the  popu- 
lation has  increased  with  greater  rapidity  than  in  the  history 
of  previous  territories. 

In  1834,  Congress  attached  this  Territory  to  that  of 
Michigan  for  temporary  jurisdiction,  and  two  large  counties 
—  Dubuque  and  Des  Moines  —  were  organized.  Their 
aggregate  population  in  1836  was  1053 ;  and  during  the 
same  year  Wisconsin  was  organized  as  a  separate  Territory, 
and  exercised  jurisdiction  over  "  the  District  of  Iowa." 

The  "  Territory  of  Iowa"  was  organized  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1838.  Robert  Lucas,  a  former  Governor  of  Ohio, 
was  Governor  and  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  of  the 
new  Territory.  During  that  year,  the  State  was  subdivided 
into  sixteen  counties,  and  contained  a  population  of  22,860. 

The  first  Legistature  held  in  Iowa  met  at  Burlington,  in 

then  the  home  of  the  Dacotahs,  who  were  the  terror  of  their 
savage  neighbors. 


BOUNDARIES,    AREA,    ETC.  19 

the  fall  of  1837,  while  our  State  was  attached  to  Wiscon- 
sin, yet  subject  to  Michigan  in  judicial  matters. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1838,  Iowa  was  separated  from 
Wisconsin  by  Act  of  Congress,  passed  June  12th,  1838. 

In  1839,  the  General  Assembly  located  the  Seat  of 
Government  on  the  Iowa  Biver,  and  called  the  place  the 
"  City  of  Iowa." 

In  1843,  the  Territorial  Legislature  petitioned  Congress 
for  authority  to  adopt  a  State  Constitution;  which  was 
granted  at  the  next  session ;  and  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1844,  the  Convention  assembled  and  adopted  a  Constitution, 
which  was  not  approved  by  Congress.  A  second  Conven- 
tion was  held  in  1846,  the  limits  restricted,  an  amended 
Constitution  adopted ;  this  was  submitted  to  Congress  and 
approved;  and  in  December,  1846,  the  "State  of  Iowa" 
was  admitted  and  christened  as  one  of  the  glorious  Con- 
federacy. 

The  State  of  Iowa  is  situated  between  40°  30'  and  43°  30' 
north  latitude,  and  between  90°  20'  and  97°  40'  west  lon- 
gitude ;  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Minnesota  Territory, 
east  by  the  Mississippi  Eiver  (which  separates  it  from  Wis- 
consin and  Illinois),  south  by  Missouri,  and  west  by  the 
Missouri  River  (which  separates  it  from  Nebraska  Terri- 
tory). The  State  contains  an  area  of  56,000  square  miles ; 
being  upwards  of  200  miles  wide  from  north  to  south,  and 
upwards  of  300  long  from  east  to  west.  The  State  is 
divided  into  one  hundred  counties;  eighty-five  of  which 
have  been  surveyed,  and  seventy  regularly  organized. 


20  THE    CLIMATE. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   CLIMATE. 

WE  have,  generally,  an  unbroken  winter  from  the  middle 
of  November  till  January,  when  we  are  almost  invariably 
visited  with  a  "January  thaw;"  after  which  the  weather 
is  generally  mild,  and  gradually  merges  into  spring.  We 
are  free  from  the  sudden  changes  of  New-England,  and 
from  the  long  drizzling  rains  and  foggy  weather  of  portions 
of  the  Middle  States.  But  Iowa,  in  common  with  other 
States,  must  except  the  prolonged  intense  cold  weather  of 
last  winter. 

This  State  is  located  in  the  healthiest  latitude  of  our 
continent;  reaching  only  to  latitude  43°  30'  on  its  northern 
boundary.  Its  winters  are  comparatively  mild  and  plea- 
sant, and  its  summers  free  from  the  long  scorching  rays  of 
a  southern  sun  and  the  epidemics  so  common  in  such  cli- 
mates.* By  the  medical  journals,  Iowa  is  ranked  as 

*  Dr.  TTpdegraff,  a  correspondent  of  the  Ohio  Farmer,  thus 
alludes  to  our  climate,  &c. : 

"  Of  all  other  considerations  respecting  a  new  country,  the 
most  important  is  as  to  its  healthiness. 

"  In  this  respect,  Iowa  has  the  advantage  of  most  new  coun- 
tries. An  open  prairie  country,  almost  universally  rolling,  or 
even  hilly,  it  is  more  favorable  to  health  than  flat  prairie  or  level 
•woodland.  The  streams  are  mostly  fresh  running  water,  with 
sandy  or  gravel  beds.  The  scarcity  of  timber-land,  and  the 
annual  fires  that  pass  over  the  prairies,  prevent,  to  a  great  degree, 


THE    CLIMATE.  21 

second  only  in  point  of  health ;  and  no  doubt  it  will  be 
first,  when  she  has  a  settled  and  acclimated  population,  as 
free  from  toil,  privations,  and  exposure  as  other  states. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  this  climate  is  the  dryness 
of  its  summers  and  autumns.  A  drought  often  commences 
in  August,  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  showers 
towards  the  close  of  that  month,  continues,  with  little  inter- 
ruption, throughout  the  fall  season.  The  autumnal  months 
are  almost  invariably  clear,  warm,  and  dry.  The  immense 
mass  of  vegetation  with  which  this  fertile  soil  loads  itself 
during  the  summer  is  suddenly  withered,  and  the  whole 
earth  is  covered  with  combustible  materials.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  of  those  portions  where  grass  grows  from  two 
to  ten  feet  high,  and  is  exposed  to  sun  and  wind,  becoming 
thoroughly  dried.  A  single  spark  of  fire,  falling  upon  the 
prairie  at  such  a  time,  instantly  kindles  a  blaze  that  spreads 
on  every  side,  and  continues  its  destructive  course  as  long 
as  it  finds  fuel.  These  fires  sweep  along  with  great  power 
and  rapidity,  and  frequently  extend  across  a  wide  prairie 
and  advance  in  a  long  line.  No  sight  can  be  more  sublime 
than  a  stream  of  fire,  beheld  at  night,  several  miles  in 

the  decomposition  of  vegetable  matter;  which  is,  in  most  new 
countries,  the  great  source  of  disease.  With  some  local  excep- 
tions, there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  natural  reason  why  this  State, 
even  in  its  early  settlement,  should  not  enjoy  as  high  an  average 
of  healthiness  as  Ohio  now  does.  Such  I  believe  to  be  the  fact, 
after  making  proper  deductions  for  change  of  climate,  mode  of 
life,  exposure,  and  unusual  exertion.  To  observe  the  exertion 
and  exposure,  often  reckless  and  unnecessary,  to  which  most  new 
settlers  subject  themselves,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  surprise  that 
disease  and  mortality  are  not  much  more  usual  than  they  are." 


22  THESOIL. 

breadth,  advancing  across  the  plains,  leaving  behind  it  a 
background  of  dense  black  smoke,  throwing  before  it  a 
vivid  glare,  which  lights  up  the  whole  landscape  for  miles 
with  the  brilliancy  of  noonday.  These  fires  are  so  thorough 
in  their  progress,  that  they  destroy  every  combustible 
before  them.  The  roots  of  the  prairie-grass,  and  several 
species  of  flowers,  however,  by  some  peculiar  adaptation 
of  nature,  are  spared. 

A  narrow  strip  of  bare  ground,  or  a  beaten  road,  the 
width  of  a  common  wagon-track,  will  prevent  the  fire  from 
extending  beyond  it;  yet  careless,  thoughtless  farmers, 
sometimes  suffer  tall  grass  to  connect  their  fields  of  corn 
and  fences  with  the  wild  prairie,  and  forfeit  their  year's 
toil  as  a  penalty  for  their  slothfulness ! 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    SOIL. 

IT  is  well  known  to  the  scientific  farmer,  that  the  land 
best  suited  to  wheat  and  most  small  grains,  and  in  which 
the  earthy,  saline,  and  organic  matters  are  distributed  in  the 
proportion  best  adapted  to  impart  fertility  and  durability,  is 
generally  a  soil  based  on  the  calcareous  and  magnesio-calca- 
reous  rocks.  This  condition  particularly  characterizes  the 
country  bordering  on  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries, 
between  the  41st  and  45th  degrees  of  latitude,  which  has  an 


THESOIL.  23 

average  width  of  20  to  30  miles  west  of  the  line  of  that 
river.  In  this  State,  it  includes  the  Dubuque  District,  the 
country  watered  by  the  Des  Moines,  and  the  two  lowas.  In 
Owen's  Geological  Report,  we  find  the  following : 

"  The  prairie  country,  based  on  rocks  belonging  to  the 
Devonian  and  carboniferous  systems,  extending  up  the  val- 
ley of  the  Ked  Cedar,  Iowa,  and  Des  Moines,  as  high  as  lati- 
tude 42°  31',  presents  a  body  of  arable  land  which,  taken 
as  a  whole,  for  richness  and  organic  elements,  for  amount 
of  saline  matter,  and  due  admixture  of  earthy  silicates, 
affords  a  combination  that  belongs  only  to  the  most  fertile 
upland  plains.  Throughout  this  district  the  general  level- 
ness  of  the  surface,  interrupted  only  by  gentle  swells  and 
moderate  undulations,  offers  facilities  for  the  introduction 
of  all  those  aids  which  machinery  is  daily  adding  to  dimi- 
nish the  labor  of  cultivation,  and  render  easy  and  expedi- 
tious the  collection  of  an  abundant  harvest." 

Again,  in  speaking  of  the  physical  and  agricultural 
character  of  the  State,  bordering  on  the  Mississippi,  Owen 
says: 

"  The  carboniferous  rocks  of  Iowa  occupy  a  region  of 
country  which,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  one  of  the  most  fertile 
in  the  United  States.  No  country  can  present  to  the  farmer 
greater  facilities  for  subduing,  in  a  short  time,  wild  land. 
Its  native  prairies  are  fields,  almost  ready  made  to  his 
hands.  Its  rich,  black-  soil,  scarcely  less  productive  than 
that  of  the  Cedar  Valley,  returns  him  reward  for  his  labor 
a  hundredfold.  The  only  drawback  to  its  productiveness 
is  that,  on  some  of  the  higher  grounds,  the  soil,  partaking 


24  THESOIL. 

of  the  mixed  character  common  to  drift-soils,  is  occasionally 
gravelly,  and  that,  here  and  there,  when  the  upper  mem- 
bers of  the  coal-measures  prevail,  it  becomes  somewhat  too 
siliceous. 

"  The  future  farms  of  Iowa,  large,  level,  and  unbroken 
by  stump  or  other  obstruction,  will  afford  an  excellent  field 
for  the  introduction  of  mowing-machines,  and  other  im- 
proved implements  calculated  to  save  the  labor  of  the  hus- 
bandman, and  which,  in  new  countries,  reclaimed  from  the 
forest,  can  scarcely  be  employed  until  the  first  generation 
shall  have  passed  away. 

Since  "  a  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits,"  and  the  soil  by 
its  yield,  we  mention  a  few  items,  showing  the  results  of 
the  tiller's  toil,  in  some  parts  of  Iowa,  in  1855,  which  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  fertility  of  our  soil. 

Eobert  Rawlins,  of  Washington  county,  exhibited  8 
stalks  of  corn,  11  feet  high,  bearing  11  ears,  10  rows  on 
each  ear,  and  47  grains  to  a  row,  making  88  feet  of  stalk, 
and  5170  grains  of  plump  white  corn,  the  produce  of  a 
single  grain  !  Messrs.  Harrow,  of  Wapello  county,  exhi- 
bited specimens  from  a  field  which  produced  the  extraor- 
dinary yield  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  bushels  of  corn 
per  acre  !  Jerome  Parsons,  of  Jefferson  county,  exhibited 
specimens  of  red-chaff  bearded  wheat,  from  the  almost  un- 
precedented yield  of  forty-seven  bushels  to  the  acre  ! 

Of  potatoes,  raised  in  Jefferson  county,  105  bushels  to 
the  acre :  some  specimens  9  by  16  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence. Of  beets,  27  inches  in  length ;  and  others  31  in 
circumference,  weighing  17  Ibs.  Squashes  in  Western 
Iowa,  weighing  100  Ibs. ;  also,  in  Northern  Iowa,  a  squash 


APPEARANCE    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.          25 

vine  275  feet  long,  bearing,  among '  others,  5  squashes 
which,  average  80  Ibs.  each,  all  from  one  seed !  Mr.  Elisha 
Pierson,  near  Iowa  City,  raised  over  half  a  ton  of  squashes 
from  two  seeds !  One  of  his  yield  weighed  189  Ibs., 
and  measured  7  feet  2  inches  in  circumference,  and  tho 
smallest  weighed  100  Ibs.  We  have  seen  apples  weighing 
24  ounces  each,  and  pears  of  28  ounces  weight  each. 

More  full  and  minute  descriptions  of  the  soil  in  various 
localities  in  the  State  may  be  found  in  the  series  of  articles 
upon  "the  Counties  and  Towns  of  Iowa,"  and  in  the 
Agricultural  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GENERAL   APPEARANCE   OF  THE   PRAIRIES. 

THE  novelty  of  the  prairie  country  is  striking,  and  never 
falls  to  cause  an  exclamation  of  surprise  from  those  who 
have  lived  amid  the  forests  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  or  along 
the  wooded  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  or  in  sight  of  the  rocky 
barriers  of  the  Allegheny  ridge.  The  extent  of  the  pros- 
pect is  exhilarating.  The  outline  of  the  landscape  is  un- 
dulating and  graceful.  The  verdure  and  the  flowers  are 
beautiful;  and  the  absence  of  shade,  and  consequent 
appearance  of  a  profusion  of  light,  produces  a  gaiety  which 
animates  every  beholder. 

These   plains,  although   preserving   a  general  level  in 

respect  to  the  whole  country,  are  yet,  in  themselves,  not 

Jlat,  but  exhibit  a  gracefully  waving  surface,  swelling  and 

sinking  with  easy,  graceful  slopes,  and  full,  rounded  outlines, 

3 


26  APPEARANCE    OP    THE    PRAIRIES. 

eqnaHy  avoiding  the  unmeaning  horizontal  surface,  and  tue 
interruption  of  abrupt  or  angular  elevations. 

The  attraction  of  the  prairie  consists  in  its  extent,  its 
carpet  of  verdure  and  flowers,  its  undulating  surface,  its 
groves,  and  the  fringe  of  timber  by  which  it  is  surrouuded. 
Of  all  of  these,  the  latter  is  the  most  expressive  feature. 
It  is  that  which  gives  character  to  the  landscape,  which 
imparts  the  shape,  and  marks  the  boundary  of  the  plain. 
If  the  prairie  be  small,  its  greatest  beauty  consists  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  surrounding  margin  of  woodland,  which 
resembles  the  shore  of  a  lake  indented  with  deep  vistas, 
like  bays  and  inlets,  and  throwing  out  long  points,  like 
capes  and  headlands. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  young  grass  has 
just  covered  the  ground  with  a  carpet  of  delicate  green, 
and  especially  if  the  sun  is  rising  from  behind  a  distant 
swell  of  the  plain  and  glittering  upon  the  dewdrops,  no 
scrao  can  be  more  lovely  to  the  eye.  The  groves,  or  clus- 
ters,of  timber,  are  particularly  attractive  at  this  season  of 
the  year.  The  rich  undergrowth  is  in  full  bloom.  The 
rosewood,  dogwood,  crab-apple,  wild  plum,  the  cherry,  and 
the  wild  rose  are  all  abundant,  and  in  many  portions  of  the 
.State  the  grape-vine  abounds.  The  variety  of  wild  fruit 
•and  flowering  shrubs  is  so  great,  and  such  the  profusion 
of  the  blossoms  with  which  they  are  bowed  down,  that  the 
eye  is  regaled  almost  to  satiety. 

The  gaiety  of  the  prairie,  its  embellishments,  and  the 
absence  of  the  gloom  and  savage  wildness  of  the  forest, 
all  contribute  to  dispel  the  feeling  of  loneliness  which  usu- 


APPEARANCE    OP    THE    PRAIRIES.          27 

ally  creeps  over  the  mind  of  the  solitary  traveller  in  the 
wilderness.  Though  he  may  not  see  a  house  or  a  human 
being,  and  is  conscious  that  he  is  far  from  the  habitations 
of  men,  the  traveller  upon  the  prairie  can  scarcely -divest 
himself  of  the  idea  that  he  is  travelling  through  scenes  em- 
bellished by  the  hand  of  art.  The  flowers,  so  fragile,  so 
delicate,  and  so  ornamental,  seem  to  have  been  tastefully 
disposed  to  adorn  the  scene. 

In  the  summer,  the  prairie  is  covered  with  long,  coarse 
grass,  which  soon  assumes  a  golden  hue,  and  waves  in  the 
wind  like  a  fully  ripe  harvest.  The  prairie-grass  never 
attains  its  highest  growth  in  the  richest  soil ;  but  in  low, 
wet,  or  marshy  land,  where  the  substratum  of  clay  lies 
near  the  surface,  the  centre  or  main  stem  of  the  grass  — 
that  which  bears  the  seed — shoots  up  to  the  height  of  eight 
and  ten  feet,  throwing  out  long,  coarse  leaves  or  blades. 
But  on  the  rich,  undulating  prairies,  the  grass  is  finer,  with 
less  of  stalk  and  a  greater  profusion  of  leaves.  The  roots 
spread  and  interweave,  forming  a  compact,  even  sod,  and 
the  blades  expand  into  a  close,  thick  grass,  which  is  seldom 
more  than  eighteen  inches  high,  until  late  in  the  season, 
when  the  seed-bearing  stem  shoots  up.  The  first  coat  is 
mingled  with  small  flowers  —  the  violet,  the  bloom  of  the 
wild  strawberry,  and  various  others,  of  the  most  minute 
and  delicate  texture.  As  the  grass  increases  in  height, 
these  smaller  flowers  disappear,  and  others,  taller  and  more 
gaudy,  display  their  brilliant  colors  upon  the  green  surface ; 
and  still  later,  a  larger  and  coarser  succession  arises  with 
the  rising  tide  of  verdure.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a 


28  10  \V  A    SCENERY. 

more  infinite  diversity,  or  a  richer  profusion  of  hues,  "  from 
grave  to  gay,"  than  graces  the  beautiful  carpet  of  green 
throughout  the  entire  season  of  summer. 

When  the  prairie  is  bare,  it  is  easy  to  distinguish  the 
ich  from  the  poorer  lands,  by  the  small  hillocks  which  are 
cattered  over  them,  and  which  are  most  abundant  where 
the  soil  is  least  productive.  They  are  from  a  few  inches  to 
two  or  three  feet  in  height,  and  only  exist  where  the  clay 
lies  near  the  surface;  as  such  mounds  composed  of  rich 
mould  would  soon  crumble  and  become  level.  These,  by 
some,  are  said  to  be  the  work  of  the  gophor  —  a  small 
quadruped;  by  others,  are  thought  to  be  thrown  up  by 
craw-fisli ;  which  is  doubtless  true  of  wet  situations;  while 
those  in  drier  portions  are  attributed  to  colonies  of  ants : 
each  class  belonging,  however,  to  the  clay  party,  and  working 
enly  in  poor  soil. 


CHAPTER  V. 

IOWA   SCENERY — THE  BLUFFS,   ETC. 

RESPECTING  the  scenery  of  Iowa,  Owen,  in  his  Geolo- 
gical Report  to  Congress,  pp.  64,  65,  and  66,  says : 

"  The  scenery  on  the  Rhine,  with  its  castellated  heights, 
has  furnished  many  of  the  most  favorite  subjects  for  the 
artist's  pencil,  and  been  the  admiration  of  European  travel- 
lers for  centuries.  Yet  it  is  doubtful  whether,  in  actual 
beauty  of  landscape,  it  is  not  equalled  by  that  of  some  of 


IOWA    SCENERY.  29 

the  streams  that  water  this  region  of  the  Far  "West.  It  is 
certain  that,  though  the  rock  formations  essentially  differ, 
Nature  has  here  fashioned,  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  in 
advance  of  all  civilization,  remarkable  and  curious  counter- 
parts to  the  artificial  landscape  which  has  given  celebrity 
to  that  part  of  the  European  Continent. 

"The  features  of  the  scenery  are  not,  indeed,  of  the 
loftiest  and  most  impressive  character  —  such  as  one  mi^ht 
expect  to  witness  on  approaching  the  source  of  one  of  the 
two  largest  rivers  on  the  globe.  There  are  no  elevated 
peaks,  rising  in  majestic  grandeur;  no  mountain  torrents, 
shrouded  in  foam,  and  chafing  in  their  rocky  channels;  no 
deep  and  narrow  valleys,  hemmed  in  on  every  side,  and 
forming,  as  it  were,  a  little  world  of  their  own ;  no  narrow 
and  precipitous  passes,  winding  through  circuitous  defiles; 
no  cavernous  gorges,  giving  exit  to  pent-up  waters ;  no  con- 
torted and  twisted  strata,  affording  evidence  of  gigantic 
and  violent  throes.  But  the  features  of  the  scene,  though 
less  grave' and  bold  than  those  of  mountainous  regions,  are 
yet  impressive  and  strongly  marked.  We  find  the  luxuriant 
sward,  clothing  the  hill-slope  even  down  to  the  water's  edge. 
We  have  the  steep  cliff,  shooting  up  through  its  mural  es- 
carpments. We  have  the  stream,  clear  as  crystal,  now 
quiet,  and  smooth,  and  glassy,  then  ruffled  by  a  temporary 
rapid ;  or,  when  a  terrace  of  rock  abruptly  crosses  it,  broken 
up  into  a  small,  romantic  cascade.  We  have  clumps  of 
trees,  disposed  with  an  effect  that  might  baffle  the  landscape 
gardener;  now  crowning  the  grassy  height,  now  dotting 
the  green  slope  with  partial  and  isolated  shade.  From  the 
3* 


30  IOWA    SCENEXY. 

hill-tops,  the  intervening  valleys  wear  the  aspect  of  culti- 
vated meadows  and  rich  pasture-grounds,  irrigated  by  fre- 
quent rivulets,  that  wend  their  way  through  fields  of  wild 
hay  fringed  with  flourishing  willows.  Here  and  there, 
occupying  its  nook  on  the  bank  of  the  stream,  at  some 
favorable  spot,  occurs  the  solitary  wigwam,  with  its  scanty 
appurtenances.  On  the  summit-level  spreads  the  wide 
prairie,  decked  with  flowers  of  the  gayest  hue;  its  long, 
undulating  waves,  stretching  away  till  sky  and  meadow 
mingle  in  the  distant  horizon.  The  whole  combination 
suggests  the  idea,  not  of  an  aboriginal  wilderness  (so  re- 
cently), inhabited  by  savage  tribes,  but  of  a  country  lately 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  suddenly  deserted  by 
its  inhabitants  —  their  dwellings,  indeed,  gone,  but  the 
castle-homes  of  their  chieftains  only  partially  destroyed, 
and  showing,  in  ruins,  on  the  rocky  summits  around.  This 
latter  feature,  especially,  aids  the  delusion ;  for  the  peculiar 
aspect  of  the  exposed  limestone,  and  its  manner  of  wea- 
thering, cause  it  to  assume  a  semblance  somewhat  fantastic, 
indeed,  but  yet  wonderfully  close  and  faithful  to  the  dila- 
pidated wall,  with  its  crowning  parapet,  and  its  projecting 
buttresses,  and  its  flanking  towers,  and  even  the  lesser 
details  that  mark  the  fortress  of  the  olden  time." 

"  The  rural  beauty  of  this  portion  of  Iowa  can  hardly 
be  surpassed.  Undulating  prairies,  interspersed  with  open 
groves  of  timber,  and  watered  with  pebbly  or  rocky-bedded 
streams,  pure  and  transparent;  hills  of  moderate  height 
and  gentle  slope ;  here  and  there,  especially  towards  the 
heads  of  streams,  small  lakes,  as  clear  as  the  rivers,  some 


THE    BLUFFS.  31 

skirted  with  timber,  some  with  banks  formed  by  the  green- 
sward of  the  open  prairie.  These  are  the  ordinary  features 
of  the  pastoral  landscape." 

In  a  few  instances,  the  hills  or  bluffs  along  the  Missis- 
Mppi  rise  boldly  from  the  water's  edge,  or  push  out  their 
steep  promontories,  so  as  to  change  the  direction  of  the 
river ;  but  more  generally,  on  either  bank  of  the  river,  we 
see  a  series  of  graceful  slopes,  swelling  and  sinking  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach.  The  prairie,  for  the  most  part  ex- 
tending to  the  water's  edge,  renders  the  scenery  truly  beau- 
tiful. Imagine  a  stream  a  mile  in  width,  whose  waters  are 
as  transparent  as  those  of  the  mountain  spring,  flowing 
over  beds  of  rock  and  gravel;  fancy  the  prairie  commencing 
at  the  water's  edge — a  natural  meadow  of  deep-green  grass 
and  beautiful  and  fragrant  flowers,  rising  with  a  gentle 
slope  for  miles,  so  that,  in  the  vast  panorama,  thousands 
of  acres  are  exposed  to  the  eye.  The  prospect  is  bounded 
by  a  range  of  low  hills,  which  sometimes  approach  the 
river,  and  again  recede,  and  whose  summits,  which  are 
seen  gently  waving  along  the  horizon,  form  the  level  of  the 
adjacent  country.  Sometimes  the  woodland  extends  along 
this  river  for  miles  continuously;  again,  it  stretches  in  a 
wide  belt  far  off  into  the  country,  marking  the  course  of 
some  tributary  streams;  and  sometimes,  in  vast  groves, 
several  miles  in  extent,  standing  alone,  like  islands  in  this 
wilderness  of  grass  and  flowers. 


32       RIVERS    AND    THEIR    TRIBUTARIES. 

CHAPTEK  VI. 

RIVERS  AND  THEIR  TRIBUTARIES. 

No  State  in  the  Union  is  more  bountifully  supplied  with 
water  than  Iowa ;  being  bounded  on  the  east  by  one  of  the 
finest  rivers  in  the  world  —  the  Mississippi,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Missouri ;  the  interior  of  the  State  being  tra- 
versed in  every  direction  by  noble,  and  in  many  cases  navi- 
gable, streams;  many  of  them  running  parallel  to  each 
other,  from  twelve  to  twenty  miles  apart,  skirted  with 
timber  of  from  one  to  five  miles  in  width.  Our  rivers  have 
not  the  rapidity  of  the  New-England  streams,  nor  the  depth 
and  sluggishness  of  those  of  the  South ;  but  are  clear,  fresh, 
and  healthy,  of  gentle  current,  and  capable  of  furnishing 
water-power  for  all  purposes. 

The  rivers  that  are  directly  tributary  to  the  Mississippi 
are  the  Upper  Iowa,  Turkey,  Maquoketa,  Wapsipinnicon, 
Cedar,  Iowa,  Fox,  Checaque  (commonly  called  Skunk), 
and  the  Des  Moines.  Those  running  into  the  Missouri  are 
Floyd's,  Little  Sioux,  Inyan  Yankee,  Soldier,  Boyer,  Nish- 
nabotna,  Big  Tarkeo,  and  Nodaway. 

Some  of  these  streams  are  navigalle  for  a  great  distance, 
and  the  day  is  drawing  nigh  when  the  quiet  of  their  banks 
shall  be  broken,  and  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  heavily-laden 
steamer  reverberate  from  shore  to  shore — when  many  of 
these  streams  shall  have  become  thoroughfares  for  the 


TIMBER-LANDS.  83 

transportation  of  the  rich  productions  of  this  most  fertile 
and  most  prosperous  State.  "  The  untold  powers  of  some 
of  these  waters  will  soon  be  utilized  for  mechanical  pur- 
poses; and  but  a  short  time  will  elapse  ere  the  thunder  and 
clatter  of  the  ten  thousand  wheels  of  machinery  will  break 
upon  that  solitude  which  now  echoes  only  to  the  harvest- 
song  or  the  notes  of  the  sweet  warblers  of  the  forest.  Ex- 
tensive works  are  already  commenced  upon  more  than 
one  of  these  rivers  which  will  stamp  our  greatness  and  con- 
vince the  world  that  (  progress '  is  our  watchword." 

Besides  those  mentioned,  are  their  tributaries  —  the 
creeks,  branches,  or  rivulets,  penetrating  every  portion  of 
the  interior  of  the  State ;  springs  of  clear,  cold  water,  also 
abound  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  [Particular  reference  is 
made  to  the  sites  for  water-power  in  different  locations, 
in  the  letters  from  county-seats,  in  another  portion  of  this 
work.] 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TIMBER-LANDS. 

To  the  farmer  from  the  forests  of  any  of  the  Middle  or 
Eastern  States,  who  has  spent  years  of  most  laborious  and 
painful  drudgery  in  "  clearing  up  "  his  land,  and  with  whom 
the  most  desirable  object  has  been  the  destruction  of  timber, 
the  scarcity  of  it  here  seems  an  evil  without  a  remedy. 
But  we  contend  that  that  which  appears  to  the  superficial 


34  TIMBER-LANDS. 

observer  as  a  defect,  is,  in  truth,  one  of  the  greatest  sources 
of  prosperity  in  our  country. 

Let  us  contrast  life  in  "the  wooden  country"  with 
a  life  here  upon  the  wide  prairie.  The  labor  of  clearing 
woodland  is  the  most  arduous  task  to  which  the  farmer  is 
subjected ;  and  frequently  the  new-comer  from  the  East, 
who  settles  in  the  forests  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  consumes 
years  of  painful  toil,  and  wastes  the  prime  of  life,  before 
he  sees  the  fruits  of  his  labor.  Besides,  the  industry  and 
trade  of  the  country  are  not  enhanced,  because  those  who 
are  clearing  new  land  cannot  for  years  produce  anything 
for  market.  Again,  the  clearing  of  new  lands  suddenly 
exposes  the  vegetable  deposits  of  ages  to  the  glaring  beams 
of  the  sun  j  which,  with  the  thousands  of  fallen  and  rotting 
trees,  fill  the  air  with  noxious  exhalations,  producing  dis- 
.  eases  of  the  most  malignant  character. 

Quite  different  is  the  case  in  our  open  prairie  country. 
The  settler  may  always  select  upon  the  prairie,  land  as  fer- 
.ile  as  the  richest  river-bottoms ;  and,  by  settling  on  the 
edge  of  the  timber,  combine  every  advantage  afforded  by 
the  latter.  The  land  being  already  cleared,  he  has  only  to 
enclose  and  break  it.  The  sod  (described  in  another  sec- 
tion) is  turned  over  with  a  heavy  plow  and  strong  team. 
The  corn  is  dropped  in  the  furrows,  covered  with  a  hoe, 
and  thus  left  to  be  gathered.  Several  other  modes  of  corn- 
planting  may  be  worthy  of  mention  ;  one  of  which  is  per- 
formed by  striking  an  axe  into  the  sod  and  dropping  the 
corn  into  the  crevice ;  another,  by  dropping  the  corn  in 
every  fourth  row  in  plowing,  which  is  covered  by  the 


TIMBER-LANDS.  85 

plowing  of  tUe  fifth.  Thus,  while  the  overturned  sod  ia 
undergoing  decomposition,  and  becoming  mellow  by  expos- 
ing the  fibrous  roots  to  the  sun,  it  is  also  affording  nourish- 
ment to  the  growing  corn.  Neither  the  yield  nor  the  grain 
is  very  good  the  first  season ;  but  sufficient  to  reward  amply 
the  labor  of  planting  and  gathering.  By  the  ensuing 
spring,  the  roots  of  the  wild  grass  are  completely  rotted, 
and  the  rich,  light  mould,  unencumbered  with  rocks  and 
stumps,  is  fit  for  all  the  purposes  of  husbandry.  The  plow, 
running  easily  through  the  rich,  loamy  soil,  can  be  as  well 
managed  by  a  half-grown  boy  as  the  strongest  plowman. 

Thus,  it  is  seen,  the  difference  in  the  greater  facility  of 
working  prairie-lands,  the  saving  in  the  wear  of  farming 
utensils,  the  economy  of  time,  and  greater  degree  of  cer- 
tainty in  the  farmer's  calculations,  and  the  enjoyment  of 
health,  more  than  outweigh  any  inconvenience  which  can 
possibly  be  experienced  in  this  country  from  the  want  of 
timber,  even  under  the  most  unfavorable  circumstances. 

"  According  to  the  most  reliable  estimates,  about  one- 
tenth  of  Iowa  is  timber-land.  Of  this  a  considerable  por- 
tion is  of  inferior  quality;  and  the  supply  of  the  finest 
growth  of  timber,  such  as  we  find  in  Ohio,  is  comparatively 
small.  Yet  along  the  streams  there  are  thousands  of  acres 
covered  with  an  excellent  growth  of  oak,  walnut,  ash,  linn 
maple,  hickory,  elm,  and  cotton-wood.  These  varieties 
differ  in  different  localities.  Along  the  Iowa  and  Cedar 
Rivers,  there  is  a  large  amount  of  oak  of  all  varieties ;  and 
the  valleys  of  the  Des  Moines  are  abundantly  supplied  with 
walnut.  Hickory  and  walnut  are  abundant  on  the  Iowa, 


36  TIMBER-LANDS. 

Skunk,  Cedar,  and  other  rivers.  Besides  the  full-grown 
timber,  there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  a  vigorous  young 
growth,  that  has  at  last  conquered  the  prairie  fires,  and  is 
now  rapidly  coming  to  maturity.  In  addition  to  these, 
there  is  a  vast  amount  of  locust  being  cultivated.  This 
grows  here  with  a  rapidity  that  is  seldom  equalled  else- 
jwhere.  I  have  seen  trees  at  the  age  of  ten  years  that 
would  make  eight  posts  of  sufficient  size  for  fencing.  Thus 
there  is  an  abundance  of  timber  for  present  purposes,  and 
it  is  believed  by  those  best  informed,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  constant  demand,  the  supply  is  every  day  increasing, 
both  from  natural  and  cultivated  sources. 

"The  unequal  distribution  of  the  wooded  land  is  a 
greater  objection  than  its  actual  quantity.  Sometimes  the 
prairies  are  from  twenty  to  forty  miles  in  width,  thus 
making  timber  inconvenient.  These,  however,  are  rare 
cases,  and,  at  the  worst,  are  bearable,  compared  to  the  life- 
long drudgery  of  woodland  pioneering. 

"  The  large  amount  of  coal  that  is  now  discovered  in  the 
various  sections  of  the  State  obviate,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
limited  supply  of  timber-land.  The  rapidly-increasing  fa- 
cilities for  inter-communication  are  also  fast  equalizing  the 
advantages  of  different  localities.  It  is  not  the  economy 
of  nature  that  any  one  spot  should  monopolize  all  natural 
advantages;  but  some  portions  of  this  appear  to  combine 
as  many  as  are  often  found  harmonizing." 

The  portion  of  Iowa  most  deficient  in  timber  is  north  of 
latitude  42° — especially  on  dividing  ridges.  North  of  this 
latitude,  between  the  head-waters  of  Three  and  Grand 


GEOLOGY    OF    IOWA.  37 

Rivers,  there  are  distances  of  ten  and  fifteen  miles  without 
any  timber ;  while  between  the  waters  of  Grand  River,  the 
Nodaway,  and  the  Nishnabotna,  the  open  prairie  is  often 
twenty  miles  wide,  without  a  bush  to  be  seen  higher  than 
the  wild  indigo  and  the  compass  plant. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  IOWA. 

IN  preparing  the  following,  we  depend  'in  part  upon 
"Owen's  Geological  Report"  of  a  survey  made  under  his 
direction,  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  by  authority  of 
Congress. 

Minerals. 

The  principal  minerals  of  Iowa  are  lead,  iron,  and  cop- 
per. The  shipment  of  lead  from  Dubuque,  from  the  21st 
of  March  to  the  1st  of  December,  1854,  inclusive,  amounted 
to  43,543  pigs,  weighing  3,069,640  Ibs. ;  valued,  at  the 
mines,  $178,830,20.  Lead  has  been  found  at  various 
other  places  near  the  base  of  a  bluff  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Mississippi,  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles  above  Turkey 
River,  near  the  French  village.  From  seven  to  ten  thou- 
sand pounds  of  lead  ore  were  taken  from  openings  in  the 
rocks  by  Dr.  Andrus.  More  or  less  "  Galena  "  is  found 
here  in  all  the  principal  openings  for  the  distance  of  a  mile. 
Between  the  Yellow  and  Upper  Iowa  Rivers,  excavations 
4 


38  GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA. 

are  visible  where  the  Indians  have  dug  for  lead  ore.  On 
the  Upper  Iowa,  also,  ore  has  been  discovered  in  several 
places  in  considerable  quantities.  In  the  Winnebago  Re- 
serve, not  far  from  the  Iowa  River,  and  a  few  miles  north- 
west of  the  town  of  Lansing,  lead  ore  has  been  found  in 
Email  quantities,  chiefly  in  pockets  and  cavities. 

Copper  ore  has  been  discovered  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  State,  but  not  sufficiently  productive  to  justify  the 
sinking  of  shafts.  Iron  ore  is  found  in  various  places  in 
the  Des  Moines  Valley;  Owen  thought,  in  some  locations, 
of  sufficient  productiveness  to  justify  smelting.  There  are, 
as  yet,  no  works  for  working  raw  iron  ore  in  the  State. 

Coal-fields  of  Iowa. 

Last  summer,  the  following  article  appeared  in  the  Des 
Moines  Valley  Whig.  Having  compared  it  with  other 
authority,  we  find  it  quite  correct,  and  insert  it  entire,  with 
additional  data,  gathered  elsewhere,  as  a  condensed  view 
of  Iowa  coal  measures,  &c. : 

"  The  Des  Moines  River  runs  centrally  and  diagonally 
through  what  is  geologically  called  the  Carboniferous  Sys- 
tem of  Iowa.  This  system  is  called  carboniferous,  because 
it  is  that  particular  division  of  rocks  in  which  the  ( coal 
measures '  are  found,  and  because  it  contains  that  series  of 
rocks,  of  a  comparatively  modern  date,  which,  in  their 
composition,  are  so  largely  carbon. 

"  The  physical  and  pastoral  features  of  the  Des  Moines 
Valley  are  thus  given  in  Owen's  Geological  Survey : 

" '  The  carboniferous  rocks  of  Iowa  occupy  a  region  of 


GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA.  39 

country  which,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  one  of  the  most  fer- 
tile in  the  United  States.  No  country  can  present  to  the 
farmer  greater  facilities  for  subduing,  in  a  short  time,  wild 
land. 

" '  For  centuries  the  succession  of  natural  crops  of  grass, 
untouched  by  the  scythe,  and  but  very  partially  kept  down 
by  the  pasturage  of  buffalo  and  other  herbivorous  animals, 
have  accumulated  organic  matter  on  the  surface-soil  to  such 
an  extent  that  a  large  succession,  even  of  exhausting  crops, 
will  not  materially  impoverish  the  land. 

" '  The  rural  beauty  of  this  portion  of  Iowa  can  hardly 
be  surpassed.  Undulating  prairies,  interspersed  with  open 
groves  of  timber,  and  watered  by  pebbly  or  rocky-bedded 
streams,  pure  and  transparent;  hills  of  moderate  height 
and  gentle  slope ;  here  and  there,  especially  towards  the 
heads  of  the  streams,  small  lakes,  as  clear  as  the  rivers, 
some  skirted  with  timber,  some  with  banks  formed  by  the 
greensward  of  the  open  prairie;  these  are  the  ordinary 
features  of  the  pastoral  landscape.'  (Report,  p.  100.) 

"  The  principal  minerals  to  be  noticed  in  this  paper  are 
coal,  hydraulic  limestone,  quartzite,  clays,  common  or 
mountain  limestone,  marble,  iron  ore,  and  gypsum. 

Coal 

The  Iowa  Coal-field  embraces  an  area  of  about  25,000 
square  miles.  A  very  good  idea  of  its  locality  may  be 
obtained  by  taking  a  map  and  drawing  a  line,  commencing 
near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  State,  proceeding  up  the 
Nishnabotna ;  thence  to  Lake  Boyer ;  thence,  by  the  heads 


40 


GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA. 


of  the  Three  Rivers,  northeast,  to  the  Des  Moines,  cross- 
ing it  six  miles  above  Fort  Dodge;  thence  southeast, 
through  Tama  and  Iowa  Counties,  to  the  east  part  of 
Washington  County;  thence  nearly  south,  through  the 
west  part  of  Henry  and  Lee  Counties,  to  the  Des  Moines 
River,  near  St.  Francisville.  It  is  nearly  in  the  shape  of 
a  half  ellipse,  cut  by  the  shortest  diameter.  The  width  of 
it  east  and  west  is  nearly  200  miles ;  while  in  a  north  and 
south  direction,  the  distance  is  140  miles.  The  Des 
Moines  River  traverses,  in  a  southeast  direction,  about  250 
miles. 

The  accompanying  table  has,  with  much  care  and  some 
labor,  been  compiled  from  Owen's  Report,  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  a  view  of  the  thickness  of  the  coal  veins  as  they 
show  themselves  in  the  Valley  proper,  and  in  the  banks  of 
creeks  near  by : 

'  Tabular  View  of  the  Coal  Beds  in  the  Des  Moines  Valley. 


Counties. 


Range. 


Section. 


General  RemarKs. 


Lee 

Clark,  Mo.. 
Van  Bur  en. 


N.      W. 

66 

07 


Davis...., 
Wapello 


8&9 
9 
11 
12 
13 


23 
36 
24 
34 

25-26 

32 

25 

3 

22 

20 

19-30 

6 

32 


Quality  poor. 
Quality  good. 
Night's  Bank,  good. 
Regular  4  to  5  feet. 
Slaughter's  Bank. 
On  Bear  Creek. 
Gillis's  Bank. 
Near  Portland. 
2  seams,  2  feet  each. 
5  feet  higher,  18  in. 
Not  given. 
Quality  tolerable. 


GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA. 


41 


Counties. 

RANGE. 

Section 

Veins. 

General  Remaiks. 

Marion  

N. 

^74~ 
74 
74 

74 
74 

75 
76 
76 
78 
78 
81 
83 

w. 

2 
12 
16 
30 
14 
3 
14-23 
11 
23 
4 

5 

Ft. 

In. 

Right  bank  Cedar. 

Regular  4  to  6  feet. 
2  £  feet  poor. 
White  br'st  ex. 
«         « 

Not  given. 
«         « 

Regular  2  to  3  feet. 
2  to  3  feet  inferior. 
Not  given. 

18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
20 
19 
19 
23 
24 
25 
26 

'2 

8 
6 

2 
8 
4 

2 

Polk  

« 
Boons  

NOTE. — Last  bed  mentioned  in  latitude  42°  30'  north.' 
The  foregoing  table  does  not  include  the  thinnest  veins, 
nor  half  the  localities  where  the  thick  ones  crop  out ;  but 
one  can  get  a  very  correct  view  of  the  thickness  of  the 
best  seams  up  along  the  Valley.  There  are  undoubtedly 
outcrops  where  the  thickness  is  much  greater  than  in  any 
of  the  places  mentioned.  But  these  will  be  found  to  be 
the  centre  or  side  of  a  basin  which,  on  being  worked,  will 
not  extend  far.  A  basin  of  15  feet  of  thickness  has  been 
found  in  a  bank  opposite  Farmington.  Where  the  outcrops 
are  more  than  four  or  five  feet,  they  must  be  suspected  as 
being  basins,  unless  in  the  cut  of  a  stream  at  some  distance 
the  vein  is  ascertained  to  have  the  same  thickness.  Owen 
says  there  is  no  vein  of  more  than  from  four  to  five  feet 
in  Iowa.  (Report,  p.  20.) 

The  table  shows  outcrops  are  far  more  numerous  in 
some  localities  than  in  others.  In  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  river,  where  the  limestones,  which  lie  below  the 

eoal,  make  their  appearance,  the  coal  strata  are   usually 
4* 


42  GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA. 

wanting.  This  is  the  case  at  Bonaparte,  Bentonsport,  Ko-> 
osauqua  and  Ottumwa.  But  in  these  the  coal  strata  may 
be,  and  actually  are,  found  in  creeks  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  river;  sometimes,  even  upon  the  bluffs. 

The  southeast  and  northwest  parts  of  Van  Buren  County, 
the  northeast  part  of  Davis,  the  central  part  of  Wapello, 
the  southern  part  of  Mahaska,  and  the  southeastern  and 
central  parts  of  Marion,  are  rich  in  coal.  But  other  por- 
tions of  the  same  counties  are  not  wanting.  So  far  as  can 
be  learned  from  the  table,  and  so  far  as  the  observation  and 
knowledge  of  the  writer  extends,  the  heaviest  beds  are  usu- 
ally on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  The  best  beds  are  also 
there.  Some  of  these  are  also  on  the  White  Breast, 
Cedar,  and  Soap  Creeks.  The  principal  exception  to  this 
rule  is  in  the  southeast  part  of  Van  Buren  County.  Here 
it  exists  in  great  abundance  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  It 
is  equal  in  quality  to  any  found  below  Marion  County. 
Two  veins  are  worked  to  considerable  extent  in  connection ; 
the  two  afford  from  4£  to  5£  feet.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  it  is  said  the  two  are  separated  by  a  vein  of  fire-clay, 
which  thins  out,  and  the  coal  veins  converge  as  they  recede 
from  the  river.  These  veins  are  shown  in  the  cuts  made 
by  the  creeks  for  miles  in  distance  to  the  west.  During 
the  year  ending  with  the  current  June,  more  than  100,000 
bushels  have  been  taken  from  three  banks  near  Farming- 
ton,  two  of  which  are  east  of  the  river.  Some  of  this  has 
been  conveyed  by  blacksmiths  the  distance  of  75  miles  into 
the  State  of  Missouri.  The  greater  part  of  it  has  been 
transported  to  different  places  by  wagons. 


GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA.  43 

The  average  value  of  it  at  the  bank  is  6J  cents  per 
bushel.  The  value  at  the  Mississippi,  a  distance  of  3d 
miles,  is  18  to  20  cents  per  bushel.  Whenever  the  banks 
shall  be  well  opened,  and  there  are  ready  and  convenient 
means  of  carriage,  so  that  colliers  can  find  regular  employment, 
coal  can  be  delivered  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  at  a 
cost  of  6  or  7  cents  per  bushel,  and  afford  a  better  profit  than 
at  present.  This  is  upon  the  supposition  that  it  can  be  con- 
veyed upon  a  railroad  car  here  as  cheap  as  in  Kentucky,  where 
the  cost  of  transportation  is  one  cent  per  bushel  per  100  miles. 
And  as  to  the  amount  of  coal  the  Valley  can  supply,  it  is  easy 
to  ascertain  it.  Allowing  a  bushel  to  the  cubic  foot,  one 
acre,  with  a  two-feet  vein,  will  give  87,120  bushels.  With 
a  four-feet  vein,  one  acre  will  give  174,240  bushels.  One 
hundred  acres,  with  a  four-feet  vein,  will  yield  17,424,000 
bushels.  One  square  mile,  with  a  four-feet  vein,  will  yield 
111,513,600  bushels.  The  transportation  of  this  100 
miles,  at  one  cent  per  bushel,  would  yield  the  snug  purse 
of  §1,115,136.  And  as  the  demand  for  coal  would  at 
once  be  increased  to  millions  of  bushels  a  year,  if  a  rail- 
road was  constructed  in  the  Valley,  this  mineral  alone 
would  afford  quite  an  item  of  business  and  profit. 

Hydraulic  Limestone. 

Of  this  kind  of  stone  is  formed  a  mortar  which  will  set 
under  water.  It  is  essential  for  all  masonry  exposed  to 
the  water  and  to  dampness.  There  are  several  varieties  of 
it :  one  is  called  Septaria.  This  is  found  in  the  form  of 
round  or  flattened  balls,  of  various  sizes.  This  is  the  kind 


44  GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA. 

from  which  the  English  prepare  the  celebrated  Roman  Ce- 
ment. (Hitchcock's  Geology,  p.  20.)  Comstock  speaks 
of  it  also  as  'Argillo-Ferruginous  Limestone.'  This,  how- 
ever, is  another  variety  of  cement-rock,  and  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  common.  It  is  called  black  calcareous  rock,  cement 
rock,  and  hydraulic  limestone.  In  reference  to  the  geolo- 
gical formations  in  the  Valley,  Owen  says,  '  The  middle 
division  of  the  Iowa  Coal-field  affords,  at  many  localities, 
iron-stones  of  various  qualities,  associated  frequently  with 
hydraulic  calcareous  cement,  which  occurs  either  in  the 
form  of  disconnected  septaria,  or  regular  beds.'  (Report, 
p.  21.) 

Cement  rock  is  found  both  above  and  below  the  coal,  but 
in  the  largest  quantities  above.  The  reader  will  find  mention 
of  it  by  consulting  Owen's  Report,  pp.  112,  127;  and 
more  frequently  still  in  that  part  of  it  which  gives  the 
geological  structure  between  Fort  Des  Moines  and  Fort 
Dodge.  It  is  a  very  common  rock  in  the  Valley  j  probably 
in  every  county  on  the  River  below  Fort  Dodge.  In  many 
places  contiguous  to  the  river  in  Davis  County,  there  are 
strata  of  it  several  feet  in  thickness.  The  geological  struc- 
ture of  the  southeast  and  central  parts  of  Marion  County 
are  just  the  same  as  in  Davis.  But  as  the  series  of  rocks 
above  the  coal  show,  themselves  more  extensively  above 
Racoon  Fork,  we  accordingly  find  more  frequent  mention 
of  it  in  that  region.  In  some  places  large  quantities  of  it 
are  wrought  into  cement,  which  is  quite  extensively  used 
in  the  river  improvement.  The  initials  of  it  by  analysis 
are : 


GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA.  45 

"  Carbonate  of  lime  63-6 

Silica 15-5 

Alumina 8-3 

Protoxide  of  iron 7-4 

Magnesia 1-2 

With  a  small  portion  of  manganese,  soda,  and  potash. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  demand  for  this  is 
great,  when  it  is  said  that  $6000  worth,  at  the  ordinary 
prices,  will  be  wanted  for  every  lock  on  the  river,  and  when 
it  is  also  said  that  in  nearly  every  dwelling  in  the  western 
country,  cistern  coated  with  this  .cement  will  be  indis- 
pensable as  the  means  of  obtaining  a  supply  of  pure,  soft 
water.  The  walls  and  floors  of  damp  cellars  must  also  be  laid 
in  cement.  And  the  cement  of  this  Valley  will  be  wanted 
because  it  is  more  accessible;  the  present  demand  being  sup- 
plied, in  a  great  measure,  from  La  Salle,  Illinois,  and  from 
Louisville,  Kentucky;  and  also  because  the  Valley  cement  is 
probably  fully  equal  to  that  from  other  places.  That  the 
reader  may  see  how  its  constituents  compare  with  other 
cement,  we  will  give  the  analysis  of  that  which  is  exten- 
sively used  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Its  composition, 
according  to  Professor  Beck,  ia  : 

Carbonate  of  lime 60-70 

Silica 15-37 

Alumina 9-13 

Peroxide  of  iron 2-25 

Magnesia t 12-35 

Comparing  this  analysis  with  that  of  the  Valley  cement, 
it  will  be  seen  that  they  are  substantially  the  same.  We 


46  GEOLOGY    OF    IOWA. 

will  here  add  a  practical  remark,  which  may  be  of  much 
value  to  those  who  undertake  to  manufacture  this  cement, 
and  to  those  who  undertake  to  test  specimens.  Very  much 
depends  upon  burning  it.  If  care  be  not  taken,  the  best 
cement  may  be  easily  spoiled.  In  St.  John's  Geology,  p. 
274,  will  be  found  the  following : 

'  Greater  caution  is  requisite  in  burning  hydraulic  lime, 
since  it  is  fusible,  and  the  heat  applied  to  the  common  lime 
will  vitrify  this  substance  and  render  the  process  quite  im- 
perfect. Common  lime  will  bear  a  white  heat;  but  the 
calcination  of  hydraulic  lime  is  not  well  effected  above  a 
red  heat.' 

When  proper  arrangements  shall  be  made  for  working 
this  limestone,  it  is  said  the  cement  can  be  afforded  at  the 
kiln  for  $1-25  per  barrel.  The  carriage  of  it  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi by  land  is  at  most  $1-00  per  barrel  per  100  miles; 
while  cement  from  other  places  costs  from  $3-00  to  $3-50 
per  barrel. 

Common  Limestone. 

Though  this  is  regarded  as  prevailing  rock  in  the  West, 
there  are  large  sections  in  Iowa  where  the  limestone  is  so 
largely  magnesian  as  to  be  unfit  for  quick-lime  and  mortar 
The  proper  position  of  the  common  or  mountain  limestone 
in  the  carboniferous  system  is  below  the  coal.  Accordingly, 
it  is  found  all  along  the  Valley  in  the  greatest  abundance 
and  of  the  best  quality.  Much  of  it  contains  90  per  cent, 
of  carbonate  of  lime.  This  is  among  the  most  valuable  of 
3tones  for  quick-lime. 

Closely  allied  to  this  stone,  and  still  lower  in  the  sys- 


GEOLOGY    OF    IOWA.  47 

tern,  is  the  blue  lime-stone.  Some  of  this  is  deep  blue, 
and  some,  of  a  bluish  gray.  It  is  harder  than  common 
limestone,  often  highly  crystalline,  and  fossiliferoug.  It 
usually  lies  in  strata  in  the  Valley,  varying  from  a  few 
inches  to  some  feet  in  thickness.  The  stone  is  good  for 
quick-lime,  but  is  of  superior  quality  for  building  material. 
It  is  as  beautiful  and  durable  as  Quincy  granite,  while  the 
cost  of  putting  it  into  the  wall  is  comparatively  trifling. 
The  principal  places  where  it  is  accessible  are  Keokuk,  iu 
the  bed  of  the  river  below  Farmington,  Keosauqua,  and 
Outumwa.  It  will  undoubtedly  become  an  article  of  export 
as  soon  as  it  shall  become  known,  when  a  demand  for  the 
best  building  material  arises,  and  the  proper  means  of 
transportation  are  provided. 

Marble. 

The  writer  claims  that  there  is  marble  in  the  Des 
Moines  Valley,  of  a  good  quality  and  in  great  quantity. 
'Any  limestone  which  is  sufficiently  hard  to  take  a  fine 
polish  is  called  marble.  Many  of  these  are  fossiliferous/ 
(Lyell's  Elements  of  Geology,  p.  12.)  In  the  limestones 
beneath  the  coal  there  are  several  varieties  which  come 
under  this  definition.  Among  them  may  be  classed  some 
of  those  named  under  the  previous  head.  The  best  quarry 
now  known  in  the  Valley  is  at  Keokuk.  Some  of  the 
strata  there  are  highly  crystalline — almost  saccharine — and 
take  a  fine  polish.  St.  Louis  has  already  resorted  to  this 
place  for  building  material ;  a  fact  which  shows  that  this 
'.narble  is  superior  to  any  other  equally  accessible  to  that 


48  GEOLOGY    OF    IOWA. 

city.  At  the  same  locality  are  other  varieties  which  polish 
well.  They  are  crystalline,  solid,  but  full  of  fossils,  and 
either  blue,  or  of  a  bluish-gray  color.  Of  the  latter  varie- 
ties, enough  can  be  had  at  Bonaparte,  Bentonsport,  and 
Keosauqua.  And  very  probably,  when  these  quarries  shall 
be  extensively  worked,  the  white  marble  will  be  found. 

Not  far  from  Keosauqua  there  is  a  good  variety  of  light- 
gray,  compact,  granular  marble,  of  which  tomb-stones  are 
wrought  by  Deacon  M.  B.  Root.  It  effervesces  slightly 
with  acids,  and  takes  a  polish.  Iowa  sent  a  block  from  this 
quarry  to  the  Washington  Monument.  Ottumwa  may 
expect  to  find  as  good  varieties  of  marble  as  any  place, 
because  the  lower  limestones  have  the  greatest  uplift  there 

Quartzite. 

On  Reed's  Creek,  some  distance  from  its  mouth,  not  far 
from  the  line  between  the  counties  of  Lee  and  Van  Buren, 
are  heavy  beds  of  quartzite.  The  color  of  it  is  nearly 
white — sometimes,  a  light  blue ;  and  it  is  so  slightly  adhe- 
sive that  it  can  easily  be  shaved  off  with  a  spade.  Plas- 
terers, when  working  in  the  neighborhood,  are  accustomed 
to  obtain  it  for  their  l  finishing-coat.'  Those  of  them  who 
have  used  this,  and  also  that  obtained  at  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony,  say  that  the  two  kinds  are  just  alike.  Examined 
with  a  magnifier,  the  sandstone  on  Reed's  Creek  is  sharply 
angular,  and  appears  to  be  very  pure  quartz.  The  slight 
coloring  it  has  received  has  probably  been  obtained  from 
the  superincumbent  earth.  For  plastering  purposes,  it 
uements  as  well  with  lime  as  that  of  the  Falls;  and  if  it 


GEOLOGY    OF    IOWA.  49 

really  be  like  it,  these  beds  are  a  source  whence  can  bo 
obtained  the  best  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  crystal 
glass. 

Clays. 

Passing  by  the  kinds  from  which  common  brick  arc 
made,  and  those  used  for  earthen  and  stone-ware,  the  coal- 
measures  abound  in  ( fire-clay.'  Fire-proof  bricks  are  wrought 
of  this  for  the  use  of  foundries,  furnaces,  and  in  all  cases 
and  places  where  there  is  an  exposure  to  intense  heat.  In 
the  Eastern  States,  it  has  sometimes  been  necessary  to 
import  these  bricks  from  England.  The  cost  of  them  has 
been  as  high  as  $50  per  thousand.  It  is  desirable  that  fire- 
places and  ovens  should  be  constructed  of  them ;  and  where 
fire-clay  is  plenty,  as  in  the  Valley,  there  is  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  be.  But  bricks  are  heavy  articles  of  trans- 
port ;  and  until  there  are  railroad  facilities  of  carriage,  that 
one  item  of  cost  will  prevent  extensive  business  in  this 
kind  of  manufacture.  With  such  facilities,  there  appears 
no  good  reason  why  this  clay  should  not  be  worked.  And 
as  to  quantity,  the  Valley  can  supply  the  United  States, 
with  Cuba  and  Mexico  annexed ! 

Iron  Ore. 

Iron  has  been  found  in  several  places,  though  no  beds 
are  known  in  the  Valley  of  so  rich  a  character  as  those  of 
the  'Iron  Mountain/  in  Missouri.  Owen  found  this  ore 
in  Marion  County,  in  beds  which  he  considered  would  here- 
after be  worked.  Specimens  taken  from  them  and  exam- 
ined had  a  specific  gravity  of  345;  that  of  pure  iron  being 
5 


50  GEOLOGY    OF    IOWA. 

7-7.  By  analysis,  they  contained  35  per  cent,  of  iron.  This 
iron,  as  to  richness  and  quality,  is  almost  exactly  like  the 
'  Cairnbill  Black  Band/  of  Scotland,  which  is  extensively 
worked.  Other  and  heavier  beds  have  been  discovered 
since  Owen's  Survey ;  but  whether  rich  or  not,  is  not  cer- 
tainly known ;  the  ore  not  having  been  tested  by  compe- 
tent men.  In  such  circumstances,  it  is  not  possible  to 
speak  of  this  ore  with  great  definiteness. 

Gypsum,  or  Plaster  of  Paris. 

This  is  chemically  known  as  the  sulphate  of  lime.  The 
heaviest  beds  of  it  in  the  United  States  are  to  be  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Dodge,  Webster  county.  They  are 
from  20  to  30  feet  thick,  and  show  themselves  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  for  miles ;  and  they  extend  back  each  way 
an  unknown  distance.  By  analysis,  this  gypsum  contains 
70-8  per  cent,  of  sulphate  of  lime* 

On  one  acre,  with  an  average  thickness  of  20  feet, 
there  will  be  871-200  cubic  feet;  on  one  square  mile, 
557,568,000  cubic  feetj  and  on  three  miles  square, 
5,018,112,000  cubic  feet  and  308,031,428  tons. 

Before  closing  this  paper  on  the  minerals  of  the  Valley, 
it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  survey  of  Dr.  Owen  was  made 
by  order  of  the  United  States,  and  had  for  its  more  special 
object  the  discovery  of  mineral  lands,  such  as  the  Govern- 
ment might  wish  to  reserve.  The  principal  minerals  sought 
were  lead  and  copper.  The  coal-field  was  surveyed  and 
mapped  down,  while  the  other  minerals  noticed  in  this 
paper  received  only  incidental  attention  and  secondary  con 
sideration — some  of  them,  no  mention  at  all. 


GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA.  51 

Collectively,  the  minerals  of  this  Valley,  as  now  known, 
are  extensive  and  valuable.  They  constitute  one  of  the 
many  items  which  render  their  locality  so  attractive.  It  is 
traversed  by  one  of  the  most  beautiful  rivers  on  earth ;  400 
miles  in  length,  a  large  portion  of  it  250  yards  in  breadth : 
capable  of  floating  steamers  a  part  of  the  year,  and  afford- 
ing water-power  to  any  desirable  extent :  with  a  landscape 
of  great  and  charming  variety,  groves,  and  forests,  and 
prairies,  in  constant  alternation,  and  possessing  a  soil 
"  scarcely  excelled  for  fertility,  perhaps,  in  the  world," 
why  should  it  not  be  thronged  with  inhabitants  ?  It  is  the 
centre  of  the  "  Mesopotamia  of  the  West,"  in  a  more  im- 
portant sense  than  that  of  its  position.  Let  but  the  iron, 
horse  traverse  the  whole  length  of  the  Valley,  and  its  silver 
stream  will  be  skirted  with  cities  and  villages  in  as  great 
continuity  as  is  the  Bosphorus;  meanwhile,  its  agricultural, 
and  mineral,  and  manufactured  exports,  will  amount  to 
many  millions  of  dollars  annually. 

Col.  Mix,  of  Dubuque,  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1855, 
made  a  thorough  exploration  of  that  portion  of  the  route 
of  the  Dubuque  and  Pacific  Railroad,  extending  from  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Missouri  River.  From  his  report  we 
extract  the  following : 

NOTE. — The  author  spent  a  portion  of  the  past  year  in  making 
investigations  of  the  location  and  extent  of  the  beds  of  coal,  lead, 
gypsum,  &c.,  in  Iowa,  and  has  set  forth  the  result  of  his  re- 
searches in  a  work  entitled  "  Parker's  Sectional  and  Geological 
Map  of  Iowa."  By  reference  to  this  map,  and  to  the  chapters  on 
particular  counties,  in  this  work,  it  will  be  seen  that  discoveries 
of  iron,  copper,  lead,  and  coal,  have  been  made  in  localities  not 
specified  in  the  foregoing  paper. 


52  GEOLOGY    OP    IOWA. 

"Attention  has  been  directed  to  the  coal  field.  Its 
eastern  measure,  from  geological  signs,  is  first  indicated 
near  the  corners  of  Grundy,  Hardin,  Butler  and  Franklin 
Counties,  in  range  18,  and  probably  extends  a  few  miles 
beyond  the  Boyer,  in  range  39.  Croppings-out  on  the 
Iowa,  Boone  and  Des  Moines  Rivers;  and  the  veins  are 
only  thus  far  worked  from  necessitous  demand.  They  are 
reported  to  be  from  1  to  8  feet  thick ;  but  those  that  fell 
tinder  our  observation  are  from  3  to  7  feet.  It  is  believed 
there  are  three  strata,  and  the  middle  the  thickest.  Its 
measure  in  this  latitude  is  broad  beyond  question,  and  it 
may  be  uncovered  on  Coon  and  Cedar  Rivers.  It  is  ima- 
gined its  basin  on  this  line  lies  below  the  head  waters  of 
Skunk  River  and  the  south  fork  of  the  Iowa.  Small  for- 
mations are  apparent  in  the  Little  Sioux  and  Missouri 
bluifs,  but  doubtful  if  in  veins  of  sufficient  thickness  for 
working.  In  passing  through  the  centre  of  the  State,  its 
discovery  was  asserted  in  very  many  places,  but  it  remains, 
however,  for  scientific  and  practical  mining  to  discover  and 
bring  forth  for  comfort  and  riches,  Nature's  too  often  well 
concealed  and  hidden  mineral  treasures. 

"  Gypsum,  in  inexhaustible  quantity,  abounds  at  Fort 
Dodge,  on  both  sides  of  the  Des  Moines  River,  and  is  un- 
surpassed in  quality  between  the  oceans.  It  is,  from  per- 
sonal examination,  of  greater  extent  than  Professor  Owen's 
report  represents.  The  idea  that  constant  culture  will  not 
impoverish  the  richest  soil  is  not  to  be  entertained ;  and  the 
value  of  this  article  in  agriculture,  and  for  other  purposes, 
is  almost  incalculable.  Coal,  iron  ore,  and  building  rock, 
which  in  fineness  and  durability  the  Quiucy  granite  does 


OEOLOGT    OP    IOWA.  53 

not  excel,  are  found  in  this  vicinity.  Rock  of  most  excel- 
lent quality  is  also  seen  on  the  Iowa  and  Cedar  Rivers, 
particularly  at  Cedar  Falls. 

"  The  specimen  of  iron  ore  handed  you,  is  found  on  Des 
Moines  River,  some  12  miles  above  Fort  Dodge.  Of  its 
existence  on  Iowa  River,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
best  part  of  the  coal  formation,  there  is  very  little  doubt. 
Whether  of  compensating  per  centage  for  manufacture  we 
could  not  determine,  as  the  specimens  shown  were  cor- 
roded by  time. 

"  At  Iowa  Falls,  on  Iowa  River,  there  exists  in  quan- 
tity, a  limestone  or  marble  of  cream  color,  and  admitting 
the  finest  polish.  If  it  has  not  the  beauty  of  Eastern 
white  or  variegated,  it  surely  possesses  equal  durability  and 
fineness  of  texture.  Other  marble  is  also  found  on  the 
same  river,  having  an  intermixture  of  a  brownish  color. 
This  item,  too,  which  is  a  novelty  in  the  West,  will  also 
yield  its  revenue. 

"  Coal,  providentially  so  abundant  in  the  heart  of  the 
State,  will  be  in  almost  unlimited  demand  in  Northwestern 
Illinois,  Western  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  a  large  portion  of 
our  own  State,  and  for  the  steamboats  on  both  rivers. 

"A  striking  characteristic  of  this  route,  and  worthy  of 
marked  observation,  is  that  every  river,  with  the  exception 
of  those  two  branches  heretofore  mentioned,  flows  over 
either  a  pebbled,  gravelly,  or  rocky  bottom.  Their  banks, 
with  the  exception  of  Des  Moines  at  Fort  Dodge,  also 
stated,  are  very  easy  of  access  and  departure,  and  mate- 
rials are  at  hand  for  cheap  bridging.' ' 
5* 


54  POPULATION. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

POPULATION  —  IMMENSE  IMMIGRATION  OP  1855. 

THE  population  of  the  Territory  in  1836,  was  10,531; 
in  1840,  it  was  43,017;  in  1850,  192,214.  The  census, 
as  returned  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  taken  in  the  spring 
of  1854,  is  as  follows :  Males,  170,302;  females,  154,900; 
total  population,  325,202.  Voters,  59,984 ;  militia,  50,284 ; 
aliens,  10,373;  colored  males,  258;  colored  females,  222; 
blind,  27;  deaf  and  dumb,  28;  insane,  47;  idiots,  7. 
There  is  one  vote  to  every  five  and  a  half  and  a  fraction  of 
the  population. 

According  to  this  last  census,  the  number  of  males  ex- 
ceeds that  of  the  females  some  16,000.  Let  the  Yankee 
girls  take  the  hint  when  they  see  these  figures. 

The  number  of  inhabitants  in  the  State  in  January, 
1855,  has  been  estimated  at  upwards  of  500,000.  Those 
who  have  seen  and  can  realize  that  Iowa  is  the  mouth  of 
the  great  Stream  of  Humanity,  whose  tributaries  extend 
far  and  wide,  into  every  State  and  many  nations  —  that 
stream  which  is  daily  and  hourly  pouring  into  this  great, 
and  fertile,  and  beautiful  State,  its  hundreds  and  thousands, 
cannot  but  predict  that  in  1860  Iowa  will' be  peopled  by 
more  than  a  million  of  hardy,  energetic,  and  intelligent 
inhabitants. 


IMMIGRATION    OP    1854.  55 

By  some,  this  may  be  deemed  a  wild  speculation ;  but 
we  think  we  have  good  and  sufficient  reasons  for  placing 
our  estimate  thus.  That  the  reader  may  have  some  idea 
of  the  immense  influx  into  Iowa,  we  will  annex  a  few 
extracts  which  appeared  in  the  newspapers  at  different 
points  in  the  State  last  summer  and  fall. 

OP  THE  IMMENSE  IMMIGRATION  OF  1854-5. 

The  Iowa  City  Reporter  says : 

"  Mr.  Watts,  of  this  city,  has  recently  returned  from  a 
trip  East.  On  his  way  home,  he  represents  the  immigra- 
tion bound  for  Iowa  as  astonishing  and  unprecedented.  For 
miles  and  miles,  day  after  day,  the  prairies  of  Illinois  are 
lined  with  cattle  and  wagon^,  pushing  on  towards  our  pros- 
perous State. 

"A  point  beyond  Peoria,  Mr.  Watts  remained  over 
night ;  where  he  was  informed  that,  during  a  single  month, 
seventeen  hundred  and  forty-three  wagons  had  passed,  and 
all  for  Iowa.  Allowing  five  persons  to  a  wagon,  which  is 
a  fair  average,  we  have  8715  souls  to  add  to  our  population. 
This  being  but  the  immigration  of  the  month,  and  upon 
one  route  only  out  of  many,  it  would  not  be  an  unreasonable 
assertion  to  say  that  50,000  men,  women,  and  children  will 
have  come  intD  this  State  by  the  first  of  December,  reckon- 
ing from  the  first  of  September." 

Remembering  that  those  spoken  of  by  Mr.  Watts  all 
came  by  wagons,  please  add  this  item,  from  the  Chicago 
Press  : 

tl  Most  of  the  passenger  trains  came  in  last  week  with 


56  IMMIGRATION    OF    1854. 

two  locomotives ;  and  the  reason  of  this  great  increase  of 
power  will  be  understood  when  it  is  known  that  twelve  thou- 
sand passengers  arrived  from  the  East,  by  the  Michigan 
Southern  road,  during  the  last  week — a  city  in  the  short 
space  of  six  days  I" 

To  the  above,  add  the  crowds  who  ascend  the  Mississippi 
and  Missouri  upon  every  boat,  of  whom  as  many  as  600 
have  passed  St.  Louis  in  one  day ! 
The  Oskaloosa  Times  says : 

"  From  early  morning  till  night-fall,  the  covered  wagons 
are  passing  through  the  place." 

"  We  learn  from  old  citizens  that  the  tide  of  immigra- 
tion is  this  year  greater  than  they  have  ever  known  before." 
"We   should  think  at  least  a  thousand   persons  pass 
through  Oskaloosa  every  week,  about  these  times,  on  their 
way  westward." 

"  Not  an  hour  in  the  day  but  we  see  teams  '  hauling  up ' 
on  the  Square." 

The  Davenport  Commercial  adds : 
"  That's  our  case,  precisely.  Our  ferry  is  busy  all  hours 
in  passing  over  the  large  canvas-backed  wagons,  densely 
populated  with  becoming  lowaiang.  An  army  of  mechan- 
ics have  added  300  buildings  to  this  city  during  the  past 
season,  yet  every  nook  and  corner  of  them  are  engaged 
before  they  are  finished;  but  our  hospitable  citizens  will 
not  allow  any  to  suffer  for  want  of  a  shelter.  In  several 
instances  the  citizens  have,  like  true  aborigines,  withdrawn 
to  close  quarters,  and  given  their  parlors  to  those  who  have 
come  to  make  their  homes  among  us  and  were  unable  to 


IMMIGRATION    OP    1854.  57 

find  dwellings.  There  is  not  a  vacant  dwelling  or  business 
room  in  the  city." 

The  Burlington  Telegraph  says  : 

"  20,000  immigrants  have  passed  through  the  city  within 
the  last  thirty  days,  and  they  are  still  crossing  at  the  rate 
of  600  and  700  a  day.  We  have  these  facts  from  the  ferry 
folks,  who  keep  a  sort  of  running  register.  About  one 
team  in  a  hundred  is  labelled  'Nebraska;'  all  the  rest  aro 
marked  '  Iowa.' '; 

The  Dubuque  Tribune  says  : 

"Daily — yes,  hourly  —  immigrants  are  arriving  in  this 
and  neighboring  counties  from  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Indiana, 
and  Illinois.  All  are  in  raptures  at  the  lovely  sights 
which  here  greet  their  gaze ;  and  they  with  one  accord 
yield  the  palm  to  Western  Iowa  for  lovely  prairies,  beauti- 
ful groves  of  timber,  and  meandering  streams  of  water." 

The  editor  of  the  Dubuque  Reporter  thus  speaks  of  the 
"Prospects  of  Iowa" : 

11  Never  before,  in  the  history  of  this  northwestern  region 
of  the  United  States,  has  there  been  a  more  gratifying 
spectacle  than  that  now  presented  to  those  who  take  an 
interest  in  its  progress  and  welfare.  Viewing  the  almost 
countless  throng  of  immigrants  that  crowd  our  streets,  and 
learning  that  a  similar  scene  is.  visible  at  every  other  point 
along  the  Mississippi  border  of  Iowa,  the  spectator  is 
naturally  led  to  infer  that  a  general  exodus  is  taking  place 
in  the  Eastern  States  of  the  Union,  as  well  as  in  those 
that,  but  a  few  years  ago,  were  denominated  the  West. 

"  Day  by  day  the  endless  procession  moves  on — a  mighty 


58  IMMIGRATION    OP    1854. 

army  of  invasion,  which,  were  its  objects  other  than 
and  a  holy,  fraternal,  cordial  league  with  its  predecessors, 
their  joint  aim  to  conquer  this  fair  and  alluring  domain  from 
the  wild  dominion  of  nature  would  strike  terror  into  the 
boldest  hearts.  They  come  by  hundreds  and  thousands 
from  the  hills  and  valleys  of  New  England,  bringing  with 
them  that  same  untiring,  indomitable  energy  and  perse- 
verance, that  have  made  their  native  States  the  admiration 
of  the  world,  and  whose  influence  is  felt  wherever  enter- 
prise has  a  votary  or  commerce  spreads  a  sail ;  with  intel- 
lects sharpened  to  the  keenest  edge,  and  brawny  arms  to 
execute  the  firm  resolves  of  their  iron  will,  and  gathering 
fresh  accessions,  as  they  sweep  across  the  intermediate 
country,  from  the  no  less  thrifty  and  hardy  population  of 
New  York,  Ohio,  and  Indiana.  Tarrying  no  longer 
amongst  us  than  is  necessary  for  them  to  select  their  future 
home,  away  they  hie  to  the  capacious  and  inviting  plains, 
that  spread  themselves  interminably,  ready  to  yield,  almost 
without  preparation,  their  rich  latent  treasures. 

"  Soon  will  be  seen  innumerable  the  farmer's  comfort- 
able abode,  and  the  frequent  thriving  village,  with  its  '  peo- 
ple's college/  as  its  highest  worldly  pride,  and  close  at 
hand  the  house  of  God,  with  spire  pointing  to  heaven,  as 
if  to  remind  the  worshippers  of  the  source  to  which  they 
are  indebted  for  all  the  store  of  blessings  they  enjoy.  And 
soon,  too,  in  the  wake  of  such  a  mighty  rush  and  all  its 
soul-swelling  consequences,  will  follow  the  laying  out  and 
construction  of  those  great  works  that  will  link  us  to  the 
wide-spread  members  of  our  confederacy,  over  which  the 


IMMIGRATION    OF    1854.  59 

iron  horse,  more  terrible  in  the  fierceness  of  his  strength 
than  the  war-steed  of  Job,  will  snort  his  triumphant  ha, 
ha !  as  he  bounds  along  in  his  tireless  race.  Science,  in 
turn,  will  rear  her  loftiest  fanes,  and  plant  deep  in  tho 
hearts  of  her  disciples  the  seeds  of  a  deathless  devotion  to  • 
the  institutions  of  our  common  country.  * 

"  And  to  what,  let  us  ask,  is  the  high  tide  setting  into 
Iowa  fairly  to  be  ascribed  ? 

"  We  take  it  on  ourselves  to  answer  that  the  unanimous 
consent  of  those  who  have  investigated  her  claims  accords 
her  a  climate  of  unequalled  salubrity,  a  soil  of  the  most 
generous  fertility,  and  a  geographical  position  unsurpassed 
by  that  of  any  other  Western  State ;  in  a  word,  that  natu- 
rally she  contains  within  her  limits  all  the  elements  which, 
properly  availed  of  by  man,  will  secure  his  highest  tem- 
poral prosperity  and  happiness.  During  the  past  year,  she 
has  been  peculiarly  favored.  Whilst  the  contiguous  States, 
and  many  of  those  more  remote,  have  yielded  harvests 
diminished  by  drought  in  the  ratio  of  from  a  fourth  to  a 
half,  hers  has  been  at  least  equal  to  an  average  one.  She 
is  thus  able  to  supply  not  only  her  producers,  but  likewise 
all  who  have  since  come,  and  are  yet  to  arrive  this  year. 
This  has  been  of  incalculable  advantage  to  her.  Inasmuch 
as  every  immigrant  comes  provided  with  the  means  for 
entering  land  and  defraying  expenses  till  he  can  make  a 
crop,  money  has  been  in  freer  circulation  here  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  country.  A  fact  equally  gratifying  is, 
that  the  immigration  hither  numbers  in  its  ranks  many 
men  of  wealth,  who  consequently  bring  to  us  an  accession 


60  IMMIGRATION    OP    1854. 

of  capital  that  must  of  course  produce  results  which  are 
usually  unseen  in  new  states  for  years  after  their  settle- 
ment. 

"  We  conclude  our  remarks  on  the  prospects  of  Iowa  by 
tendering  our  congratulations  to  her  citizens  on  the  proud 
and  enviable  position  she  occupies  —  a  position  obtained 
without  effort,  and  which  is  but  a  foretaste  of  that  she  will 
1  attain  as  her  strength  is  increased  and  her  concentrated 
energies  directed  to  the  securing  of  a  yet  loftier  elevation." 

The  editor  of  the  KeokuJc  Whig  thus  speaks,  under  the 
announcement  of 

" '  STILL  THEY  COME  P  By  railways  and  steamers,  the 
flood  of  immigration  continues  pouring  into  the  great  West. 
The  lake-shore  roads  are  crowded  to  their  utmost  capacity; 
single  trains  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  cars,  all  full  of  men, 
women,  and  a  large  sprinkling  of  children,  are  almost 
daily  arriving  at  Chicago.  The  Ohio  River  steamers  are 
crowded  in  the  same  way.  On  Friday  last,  two  steamers 
brought  into  St.  Louis  some  600  passengers;  most  of  whom, 
being  destined  for  the  northwest,  have  already  passed 
through  this  place.  And  '  still  they  come,'  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  other  States,  until,  by  the 
side  of  this  exodus,  that  of  the  Israelites  becomes  an  insig- 
nificant item,  and  the  greater  migrations  of  later  times  are 
scarcely  to  be  mentioned.  Whether  the  older  States  are 
suffering  by  this  rapid  depletion,  or  how  long  they  can  en- 
dure it,  is  their  own  look-out.  Certain  it  is  that  Iowa  in 
particular,  and  the  other  Western  and  Northwestern  States 
generally  are  rapidly  filling  up  with  a  hardy,  industrious 


IMMIGRATION    OF    1854.  61 

and  wealth-producing  population.  Let  them  corae  !  Here 
is  room,  and  to  spare  !  Here  is  a  theatre  for  human  ope- 
rations on  the  grandest  scale  !  Here  is  the  place  for  the 
young  man,  just  starting  out  in  life,  for  the  old  man,  seek- 
ing to  provide  for  his  children,  for  '  all  sorts  of  men/  in 
search  of  fortune,  fame,  or  wealth ;  for  any  one,  also,  who 
has  an  eye  and  a  soul  for  Nature  in  her  grandest  forms  of 
lavish  profusion  and  splendid  magnificence. 

"There  is  something  in  the  ' growing,  glowing  "West/ 
with  her  limitless  prairies,  her  mighty  rivers,  her  moun- 
tains of  iron,  the  lavish  richness  of  her  all-bountiful  soil, 
that  expands  the  soul  of  man,  and  elevates  him  above  the 
narrow,  cramped,  and  confined  ideas  of  those  who  are  ac- 
customed only  to  the  well-worn  channels  and  small  conven- 
tionalities of  older  hum-drum  communities.  There  the 
'  new  man '  is  apt  to  find  himself  an  unwelcome  jostler, 
his  intrusion  viewed  askance,  his  elbow-room  begrudged 
him,  and  his  presence  tolerated  only  upon  condition  of  his 
accepting  the  procrustean  standard  of  hoary  and  respectable 
'use  and  wont/  unless,  indeed,  a  position  can  be  asserted 
and  maintained  by  force  of  very  superior  talent,  or  unusual 
accidental  advantages.  But  here  all  is  new,  and  plastic, 
and  vigorous.  Mei*  are  wanted  here,  and  are  welcomed. 
And  here  at  once  is  found  a  boundless  and  untrammelled 
field  of  enterprise,  adequate  to  the  elastic  energies  of  in- 
genious youth  or  mature  manhood.  It  is  curious  to  watch 
the  development  of  a  comer  from  the  old-fogy  settlements : 

to  see  his  mind  expand,  his  eye  light  up  with  the  fire  of  a 
6 


62  IMMIGRATION    OF    1854. 

renewed  energy,  and  his  whole  nature  grow  to  the  liberal 
standard  of  Nature's  doings  in  the  West. 

"  Therefore,  we  repeat  again,  let  them  come  —  old  and 
young,  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls,  with  or  without 
1  plunder.'  Let  them  flee  from  their  tax-ridden  and  mise- 
rably governed  Egypts  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  to  the 
Land  of  Promise,  flowing  with  something  better  than  milk 
and  honey,  and  possessing  capabilities  such  as  they  have 
hardly  dreamed  of.  Here  they  shall  find  welcome  homes ; 
and,  while  they  speedily  help  themselves  to  attain  better 
fortunes,  they  shall  also  have  a  hand  in  the  proud  labor  of 
building  up  the  mighty  Empire  of  the  Mississippi  Valley." 

The  editor  of  the  KeokuJe  Dispatch,  after  returning  from 
a  two-weeks'  furlough,  says : 

"  No  one  can  travel  up  and  down  the  Mississippi  without 
being  astonished  at  the  immigration  constantly  pouring  in  to 
Iowa  from  all  parts  of  the  country;  but  especially  from 
Indiana  and  Ohio. 

"  Two  gentlemen  from  Richmond  County,  Ohio,  told  us 
that  from  that  County  alone  1000  persons  were  coming  to 
Iowa  this  fall ;  at  every  ferry  on  the  river  crowds  are  wait- 
ing to  cross;  and  the  land-offices  all  over  the  State  are 
unable  to  meet  the  demands  upon  them  by  those  who  are 
eager  to  enter  lands.  * 

"Our  journey  led  us  into  Jackson  and  Jones  Counties, 
where  we  met,in  all  directions,  indications  of  rapid  settle- 
ment, thrift,  and  energy.  We  spent  some  days  in  Jones 
County^on  the  prairie  watered  by  Mineral  Creek,  and  learned 
that  but  a  year  ago  there  were  forty  thousand  acres  of  un- 


IMMIGRATION    OP    1855.  63 

entered  land,  while  there  is  not  now  as  much  as  amounts 
to  a  section  to  be  had.  Although  the  prairie  is  but  a  few 
miles  in  extent,  there  are  already  forty  habitations  upon  it. 
"When  we  take  into  account  the  central  position  of 
Iowa  in  our  confederacy,  and  the  fact  of  the  rapid  develop- 
ment of  her  resources,  we  can  easily  believe  that  she  is 
destined  to  become,  at  no  distant  day,  all  that  the  most 
sanguine  hope  for.  Her  salubrious  climate,  the  abundance 
of  water,  and  the  favorable  distribution  of  timber,  all  con- 
tribute to  give  Iowa  pre-eminence  among  the  Western 
States  in  the  minds  of  those  who  are  exchanging  a  resi- 
dence in  the  East  for  one  in  the  West." 

OP  THE  IMMIGRATION  IN  1855. 

The  Rock  Islander  thus  speaks  of  the  tide  of  immigra- 
tion flowing  into  Iowa,  at  Davenport : 

" '  Westward  the  star  of  Empire  takes  its  way/  sang 
good  old  Bishop  Berkeley,  a  hundred  years  ago.  Whoever 
wants  a  practical  illustration  of  what  is  now  a  fact,  but  was 
then  a  prophesy,  need  only  watch  our  ferry  a  single  hour. 
Hundreds  of  muslin-covered  wagons,  bearing  wives  and 
children,  and  household  goods,  and  driven  by  stalwart  men. 
seeking  a  new  hom^in  the  mighty  West,  cross  the  Missis- 
sippi at  this  point  weekly.  It  is  a  tide  which  knows  no 
ebb,  but  still  keeps  flowing,  ever  flowing,  onward  toward 
the  rich  prairies  of  Nebraska  and  the  setting  sun." 
"An  Ohio  paper  thus  speaks  : 

"  The  last  wonder  at  the  eastward  is  the  immense  immi- 
gration westward.     Nothing  like  it  here  or  there  was  ever 


64  IMMIGRATION    OP    1855. 

before  known.  It  is  estimated,  from  the  way  it  has  com- 
menced, that  it  will  exceed  that  of  any  previous  year  full 
fifty  per  cent.  Many  circumstances  have  conspired  to  pro- 
duce this  movement,  but  the  hard  times  for  the  past  yoar 
eastward,  and  the  abundance  of  good  and  cheap  land  west- 
ward, with  the  ambition  of  the  masses  to  better  their 
condition  in  life,  are  the  stimulating  causes." 

The  Washington  County,  Iowa,  paper  says : 

"  Our  town  is  daily  full  of  strangers  from  the  Eastern 
States;  seeking  homes  amongst  us,  and  purchasing  pro- 
perty both  in  town  and  country.  Every  house  and  every 
room  in  the  town  is  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  yet 
the  demand  is  not  supplied.  The  mail  coaches  from  every 
direction  are  crowded  with  passengers,  piled  in,  shaken 
down,  and  running  over;  and  besides  this  kind  of  convey- 
ance, private  passenger  hacks  '  loaded  down  to  the  guards/ 
are  seen  on  the  streets  and  at  the  hotels  almost  hourly. 

"  With  the  present  rate  of  emigration,  Iowa  must  ere 
long  become  one  of  the  most  populous  States  in  the  north- 
western portion  of  the  Union." 

The  Chicago  Press  thus  speaks  of  the  Western  move- 
ment : 

"We  have  heretofore  referred  (9  the  fact,  that  the 
amount  of  travel  West  was  much  larger  than  the  Eastern 
movement.  This  is  true  now,  and  will  be  till  the  vast  fer- 
tile country  West  and  North-west  of  us  becomes  generally 
settled,  and  its  resources  fully  developed.  In  the  older 
States  the  young  and  enterprising  are  seeking  a  home  in 
the  great  central  valley  of  the  continent,  and  for  many 


IMMIGRATION    OP    1855.  65 

years  to  come  the  population  of  the  New  England  and 
Middle  States  must  increase  very  slowly,  and  in  some  of 
them,  perhaps,  not  at  all;  while  that  in  most  of  the 
central  States  will  be  told  in  millions. 

"  We  learn  from  William  M.  Larabee,  Esq.,  secretary 
of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Kailroad,  that  during 
the  past  year,  the  passengers  on  that  road  going  West 
have  numbered  about  forty  thousand  more  than  those 
coming  East.  This  fact  is  very  significant,  and  indicates 
that  over  this  thoroughfare  alone  more  than  three  thou- 
sand passengers  per  month  have  gone  West,  and  made 
their  homes  in  the  rich  lands  lying  towards  the  setting  sun." 

The  Chicago  Journal  of  May  3,  says  : 

"  WESTWARD. — Last  night  the  city  was  invaded,  and 
hundreds  had  not  where  to  lay  their  heads.  The  hotels 
were  compelled  to  turn  all  who  came  in  the  evening  trains 
away,  being  unable  to  accommodate  them." 

The  Burlington  Pantograph  of  a  recent  date,  says  : 

"  The  van  of  the  great  emigrant  army  has  been  passing 
through  our  town  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks.  The 
average  through  this  place  for  some  time  past  has  been 
about  fifty  wagons  daily,  generally  followed  by  droves  of 
fine  looking  cattle^  and  attended  by  all  the  other  indica- 
tions of  thrift  and  enterprise;  and  wherever  they  may 
choose  to  pitch  their  tent  there  will  be  planted  the  elements 
of  an  intelligent  and  prosperous  community. 

We  could  occupy  pages  more  in  giving  like  extracts  from 
the  press  in  various  parts  of  the  State ;  but  the  foregoing 
will  suffice. 
6* 


66  GENERAL    REMARKS. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

GENERAL    REMARKS. 

Immigration — Rivers  and  Lakes — Mineral  Resources- 
Onward  March  of  Civilization. 

IT  is  truly  gratifying  to  witness  the  rapidity  with  which 
our  noble  State  is  increasing  in  population.  Tens  of  thou- 
sands of  hardy,  industrious  "sons  of  the  soil,"  with  their 
families  and  herds,  are  lining  every  thoroughfare  into  the 
State,  attracted  by  our  beautiful  scenery,  rich  soil,  salu- 
brious climate,  and  superior  natural  advantages.  To  this 
class  we  extend  a  hand  of  welcome — for  them  we  have  "a 
home  for  all."  To  non-resident  speculators  in  lands,  who 
enter  them  to  hold,  unimproved,  for  high  prices,  we  extend 
no  invitation ;  believing  them  a  disadvantage  to  the  State, 
and  an  interposing  obstacle  between  us  and  prosperity. 

Aware  of  the  difficulty  the  immigrant  from  the  Eastern 
States  labors  under  in  obtaining  a  correct  knowledge  of  the 
West — of  its  vast  resources,  its  immenre  fields  for  cultiva- 
tion, spread  out  in  untold  beauty,  inviting  the  husbandman 
to  partake  of  the  bounty  which  a  beneficent  Being  has 
spread  out  before  him,  I  hope  to  furnish  my  readers  with 
some  facts  that  will  prove  interesting  and  profitable  to  those 
intending  to  make  their  homes  in  Iowa.  I  would  speak  of 
our  beautiful  rivers,  productive  soil,  and  healthful  climate ; 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  67 

of  the  glassy  lakes,  whose  pebbled  shores  have  for  ages 
been  the  haunts  of  the  elk,  the  buffalo,  and  the  deer,  and 
whose  waters  abound  in  the  finest  specimens  of  the  finny 
tribe.  These  solitary  places,  that  have  slept  in  beauty  so 
long,  have  been  awakened  into  life.  The  woodman's  axe 
now  begins  to  echo  on  the  banks  of  our  streams,  and  the 
hum  of  voices  resounds  upon  our  lakes.  Civilization,  in 
her  westward  march,  has  aroused  the  deer  from  his  lair ;  and 
where,  but  yesterday,  the  wolf  held  undisputed  sway,  the 
familiar  bark  of  the  farmer's  faithful  dog  is  heard. 

Probably  no  State  in  the  Union  has  ever  been  settled 
with  greater  rapidity,  or  in  so  short  a  period  of  time 
gained  greater  renown,  than  Iowa.  , 

Bounded  on  the  east  by  that  noblest  of  rivers,  the 
Mississippi,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Missouri,  cut  up  and 
intersected  at  the  most  important  points  by  railroads,  pro- 
jected and  under  contract,  possessing  almost  inexhaustible 
supplies  of  lead  in  the  north,  and  of  coal  in  the  south,  of 
lime,  sand,  and  other  building-stone  in  almost  every  portion 
of  the  State,  she  combines  within  her  borders,  resources  that 
must  render  her,  in  point  of  position  and  wealth,  one  of 
the  most  important  States  in  the  Republic. 

The  Climate  of  Iowa  may  be  compared  with  that  of 
New  Jersey  and  the  vicinity  of  New  York  City ;  except 
that  we  have  not  here  as  much  rain  and  foggy  weather  as  they 
have.  Here  it  is,  in  general,  an  unbroken  winter  from  the 
middle  of  November  till  January;  when  we  are  invariably 
visited  with  the  January  thaw ;  after  which,  the  weather 
is  generally  mild,  and  gradually  merges  into  spring.  We 


68  GENERAL    REMARKS. 

have  but  little  snow — seldom  sufficient  for  sleighing, 
and  but  few  sleds  or  sleighs  are  manufactured.  We  are 
free  from  the  sudden  changes  so  common  to  New  England  j 
the  weather  is  less  variable.  Our  storms  are  from  the  east, 
our  showers  from  the  west. 

Cultivation  and  yield  of  Wheat,  Corn,  Oats,  Potatoes  and 

Onions. 

Our  wheat  is  sown  in  March,  and  our  corn  planted  the 
last  of  April  and  first  of  May.  But  little  winter  wheat  is 
grown  here ;  the  light  snows  are  insufficient  to  protect  it 
from  winter-killing.  Spring  wheat  is  raised  in  great  abund- 
ance, and  of  a  good  quality.  Corn  is  raised  in  large  quan- 
tities ;  and  all  the  products  of  the  earth,  congenial  to  this 
climate  grow,  with  but  little  labor.  Seldom  is  the  hoe  used 
in  the  corn  or  potatoe-field  —  the  horse  and  plough  do  the 
work  in  general.  Of  the  wheat  crop,  40  bushels  to  the 
acre  is  considered  a  good  crop ;  and  of  corn,  50,  60,  and 
75  bushels  are  raised  to  the  acre ;  400  and  500  bushels  of 
potatoes  and  onions  are  common  to  the  acre.  I  know  of 
large  crops  being  taken  from  the  ground  —  such  as  100 
bushels  of  oats  to  the  acre,  and  the  same  of  corn ;  but  they 
are  not  common,  and  such  tales  only  serve  to  heighten  the 
fancy  of  those  who  intend  immigrating,  and  mislead  them. 

The  Soil  and  Prospects  of  the  Farmer  East  and  West 

compared. 

A  man  cannot  come  here  and  grow  rich  in  idleness  :  he 
must  work.  Our  soil  is  prolific,  but  must  have  care  and 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  69 

culture.  It  is  true  that  man  can  live  with  less  labor  than 
in  the  older  States ;  the  soil  is  easier  tilled.  He  can  make 
himself  a  home  much  sooner,  and  far  more  easily,  than 
those  who  purchase  land  in  northern  New  York,  Ohio,  and 
Indiana.  How  many  are  there  in  those  States  who  have 
toiled  for  years  to  cut  away  the  timber  and  burn  it;  ex- 
pending, on  an  average,  $10  or  $12  an  acre  before  the  plow 
can  enter  the  land,  and  then  be  used  with  great  difficulty 
among  the  stumps,  roots,  and  rocks ;  and  how  many  farm- 
ers are  there  now,  in  those  States,  going  down  to  the  grave 
in  the  meridian  of  life  with  a  worn-out  and  broken  consti- 
tution !  Compare  the  new  settlement  of  those  States  with 
a  settlement  in  Iowa.  Here,  the  immigrant  enters  upon 
his  land,  perhaps,  at  government  price  —  $1:25  per  acre  ; 
or,  if  he  pays  $5,  or  even  $10,  per  acre,  he  finds  it  free 
from  all  obstacles  in  making  a  farm.  For  the  sum  of  $2-50, 
the  prairie  is  broken  up,  and  often  corn  is  planted  the  first 
year,  by  striking  the  axe  into  the  turf  and  dropping  the 
corn,  which  yields  15  to  25  bushels  per  acre.  This  is 
called  sod-corn.  The  second  year,  the  turf  is  rotten,  the 
ground  easily  tilled,  and  the  husbandman's  labors  are 
crowned  with  success. 

Enclosing  Farms  —  Osage   Orange  as  a  Substitute  for 

Board,  Wire,  or  Sod  Fences. 

To  enclose  the  land,  various  kinds  of  fencing  have  been 
tried.  Among  the  early  settlers,  the  sod  fence  was  made 
by  those  who  had  a  scarcity  of  timber,  but  proved  a  per- 
fect failure.  The  soil  being  too  alluvial  and  loamy  to  sus- 


70  GENERAL    REMARKS. 

tain  itself,  the  common  board  fence  was  resorted  to,  till, 
more  recently,  the  wire  fence  has  been  introduced,  and  suc- 
ceeds well  where  it  is  properly  made.  In  most  parts  of  the 
State,  hogs  are  not  allowed  to  run  at  large,  and  of  course 
less  fencing  is  required.  It  is  now  sufficiently  demonstrated, 
by  trial  of  a  few,  that  the  Osage-orange  hedge  is  to  be  the 
great  remedy  for  lack  of  timber  upon  our  prairies :  it  has 
been  tested,  and  found  that  a  hedge  of  this  shrub  will  turn 
any  kind  of  animal,  from  a  horse  to  a  sucking  pig,  in  three  or 
four  years.  This  fence  can  be  made  for  forty  cents  per  rod, 
and  warranted,  or  no  pay.  Upon  the  prairie,  where  there  is 
not  much  range  of  cattle,  the  hedge  can  be  planted  and  grown 
without  fence  to  protect  it ;  nothing  will  eat  the  plant,  and 
the  few  that  might  be  destroyed  by  being  trod  upon,  can 
easily  be  replaced.  In  fencing,  then,  100  acres  square,  the 
expense  would  be  8250,  for  a  fence  that  would  last  for  ever. 
It  will  need  training  only,  as  it  does  not  sprout  from  the 
roots.  But,  half  of  this  fence  will  be  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  your  neighbor ;  consequently,  your  cost  will  be  but 
half  this  sum.  In  order  to  make  this  fence,  the  ground 
must  be  broken  some  eight  or  ten  feet  wide,  upon  the  line 
of  fence,  one  year  before  the  planting  of  the  hedge.  I 
understand  that  a  contract  has  been  made  recently,  by  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  to  fence  the  entire  road,  some 
300  miles,  with  the  Osage  orange. 

For  immediate  use,  those  who  have  no  timber  must 
fence  with  lumber;  which  is  $15  per  thousand  feet;  and 
the  white-cedar  post  can  be  had  for  810  per  hundred.  It 
will  take  1280  posts,  eight  feet  apart,  to  fence  100  acres 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  71 

with  wire  or  boards;  the  amount  of  either  of  the  latter 
will  be  regulated  according  to  the  number  of  strands ;  which 
may  be  three  or  five.  There  is  but  one  great  deficiency  in  our 
State  —  the  scarcity  of  timber.  But  we  hope  for  a  substi- 
tute in  the  Osage  orange,  as  far  as  fencing  is  concerned. 

Renting,    building,  Brick-malting  —  No  Vacant  Lands 
near  the  Mississippi  River. 

Tillable  land  is  now  rented  at  $1-75  to  $2-00  per  acre. 
The  first  tenement  of  the  settler  is  generally  of  small  di- 
mensions; reared  in  haste,  and  ultimately  to  form  the 
kitchen  part  of  his  future  dwelling.  Brick  is  made  in  all 
parts  of  the  State ;  and  in  most  parts,  the  limestone  rock 
is  abundant,  and  often  used  for  entire  dwellings  for  man 
and  beast.  The  vacant  land  or  lands,  still  owned  by  the 
Government,  have  now  become  very  scarce  in  the  settled 
portions  of  the  State.  No  selections  of  good  land  can  now 
be  made  within  fifty  or  seventy-five  miles  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  The  immense  immigration  of  the  last  two  years 
has  secured  all  choice  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  settlements 
and  railroads ;  and  the  only  chance  of  the  immigrant  for 
land  at  $1-25  per  acre,  is  to  go  back  into  the  interior  of 
the  State.  Many  prefer  purchasing  nearer  market — nearer 
the  Mississippi  River ;  where  unimproved  land  can  be  had 
at  from  $9  to  $20  per  acre,  and  improved  farms  at  from 
820  to  |40,  and  even  $50  per  acre— according  to  the  value 
of  improvements. 


72  GENERAL    REMARKS. 

Iowa  as  it  is,  and  as  the  Immigrant  may  expect  to  find  ft. 

— Earnest  Labor  the  Price  of  Success. 
The  immigrant  must  not  come  here  as  many  do  —  ex- 
pecting to  find  first  rate  land,  with  timber  and  water,  all 
spread  out  before  him,  very  near  some  city  or  town,  for  §1-25 
per  acre ;  it  is  not  to  be  had.  Nor  must  he  come  expect- 
ing to  find  Iowa  a  desolate,  dreary,  uncultivated  waste,  with 
here  and  there  a  green  spot,  inhabited  by  pioneers  living 
in  log  cabins  and  just  merging  into  civilization;  neither 
must  he  come  expecting  to  live  at  ease,  enjoying  the  luxu- 
ries of  life  and  health,  rolling  in  upon  him  without  any 
exertion.  A  home  can  be  had  by  the  poorest,  with  prudence 
and  economy.  No  place  in  the  wide  world  can  offer  greater 
inducements  to  the  immigrant  than  Iowa  ;  lut  he  must  look 
at  it  as  it  is.  No  fancied  sketch  must  weave  around  his 
imagination  sudden  wealth  or  unreal  beauties,  seen  only  in 
the  dreary  picture  before  him.  He  may  fancy  Iowa  a  garden, 
and,  roaming  over  its  prairies,  gather  flowers  from  its  rich 
soil,  and  exclaim  with  the  Indian,  in  ecstasies  of  delight, 
'  I-o-wah  !' — ( I  have  found  the  beautiful  land  P  but  it  will 
never  make  him  rich,  nor  create  for  him  a  happy  home, 
without  toil  and  labor. 

Unentered  Lands — Immense  Immigration  of  1855 —  Cen- 
tral Iowa  —  Best  Portions  of  the  State  yet  Unsettled  — 
The  Destiny  of  Iowa. 

There  are  yet  large  bodies  of  land  subject  to  entry  at 
the  government  price  —  $1-25  per  acre.      Early  last   sea- 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  73 

BOD,  there  was  much  upon  the  line  of  the  various  projected 
railroads  subject  to  sale;  there  are  none  at  this  time  within 
less  than  ten  miles  of  the  railroad.  The  timber-lands  of 
this  section  of  country  are  all  secured ;  nothing  remains 
but  prairie.  The  woodlands  must  be  purchased  at  second 
rates,  from  $8  to  $15  per  acre.  These  back  counties,  even1 
to  Council  Bluffs,  are  better  timbered  than  those  within 
fifty  miles  of  the  Mississippi  River,  except  in  the  northern 
part  of  Iowa.  Along  the  upper  Des  Moines  and  Boon 
rivers  are  heavily  timbered  lands  at  reasonable  prices. 
The  vacant  lands  of  Iowa  are  being  entered  rapidly,  and 
those  who  would  get  good  locations  at  government  price 
must  attend  to  the  matter  without  delay.  The  immense 
immigration  to  the  interior  of  Iowa  this  season  exceeds,  by 
far,  all  former  years.  The  roads  are  full  of  immigrant 
teams ;  the  groves,  creeks,  and  woodlands  seem  alive  with 
men,  women,  and  children  encamped  in  wagons,  tents,  and 
cabins,  until  houses  can  be  erected. 

There  are  nearly  one  hundred  counties  of  land  in  this 
State  surveyed  and  in  market ;  two-thirds  of  that  number 
are  organized,  and  contain  a  population  of  from  500  to 
25,000  each :  the  river  tier  of  counties  being  the  first 
settled  and  most  densely  populated.  Central  Iowa  is  the 
best  body  of  land  in  the  State;  and,  in  all  probability, 
the  State  of  Iowa  is  the  best  in  the  United  States.  The 
better  portions  of  Iowa  are  not  settled  yet.  The  immigrant 
must  not  think  that  Iowa  is  all  sold,  or  in  the  hands  of 
speculators.  Go  where  you  may,  westward  or  northward,  and 
the  boundless  prairie  is  spread  out  before  you,  dotted  here  and 
7 


74  GENERAL    BE  MARKS. 

there  with  its  groves  and  its  gentle  rivers,  skirted  with  timber  j 
and  you  find  no  diminution  in  beauty  or  richness  of  soil . 
the  same  deep,  black  loam  is  found  northward  to  the  St. 
Peter's  Kiver,  and  westward  to  the  Missouri.  The  immi- 
grant who  is  willing  to  penetrate  unsettled  portions,  and 
endure  the  privations  incident  to  a  frontier  life,  can  lay, 
for  himself  and  his  children,  the  foundations  of  a  fortune 
and  a  home  that  will  make  glad  the  hearts  of  his  chil- 
dren's children ;  for  Iowa  is  destined  to  be  the  most  densely 
populated  State  in  the  Union. 

How  often  has  the  thought  passed  through  my  mind, 
while  rambling  over  these  fertile  plains,  of  the  thousands 
of  human  beings  whose  lot  has  been  cast  in  more  sterile 
lands,  bound  down  by  oppression  and  servitude  !  What 
happiness  could  be  offered  to  the  starving  millions  of  the 
Old  World,  could  the  ill-gotten  treasures  of  tyrants  be  con- 
verted to  their  use,  and  the  uncultivated  wastes,  that  now 
are  only  kept  for  the  use  of  a  few  wandering  tribes  of 
Indians,  were  made  the  abodes  of  civilized  men !  The 
onward  progress  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  will  soon  open 
these  vast  resources  for  the  benefit  of  man ;  and  I  be- 
lieve that  many  of  us  now  upon  the  stage  of  action,  will 
see  these  fertile  vales  teeming  with  their  ten  thousand  flocks, 
and  hear  from  the  happy  cottages  the  general  anthem  of 
thanksgiving  and  praise,  amid  these  beautiful  glens  ana 
dales,  until  the  prolonged  note  shall  sigh  upon  the  Rocky 
Mountain's  top,  and  the  echo  be  heard  along  the  Shores  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean. 


INSTRUCTIONS    TO    NEW-COMERS.  75 


CHAPTER   XL 

INSTRUCTIONS  TO  THE  NEW-COMER  RESPECTING  THE  SE- 
LECTION, ENTRY,  OR  PURCHASE  AND  CULTIVATION  OP 
PRAIRIE  LANDS. 

THE  purchaser  from  Government,  if  he  be  a  stranger  in 
the  country,  must  first  go  to  the  Land-office  of  the  District 
in  which  lie  the  lands  that  he  intends  to  enter.  There  are 
in  Iowa  nine  Land-offices,  each  of  which  represents  several 
counties.  At  either  of  these  the  immigrant  will  be  fur- 
nished with  small  township  maps,  showing  all  the  vacant 
or  unentered  lands,  up  to  the  date  of  application.  With 
these  he  repairs  to  the  spot ;  but,  without  the  aid  of  a  sur- 
veyor, or  some  person  who  understands  the  mode  of  govern- 
ment surveys,  he  will  be  totally  unprepared  to  make  selections, 
as  the  "  metes  and  bounds"  upon  the  prairie,  or  marked  trees 
of  the  forest,  will  be  all  Greek  to  him.  He  may  gaze  upon 
the  goodly  land,  but  for  him  to  know  what  township,  range,  or 
section,  or  any  parts  thereof,  he  is  on,  will  be  found  impos- 
sible. He  cannot  transcribe  the  hieroglyphics  before  him. 
The  numbers  must  be  carefully  noted  by  one  who  Jcnoics, 
and  who  will  accompany  the  immigrant  to  the  Land-office ; 
there  he  makes  his  application  to  the  Register,  receives  a 
certificate  of  application,  and  then  presents  the  same  to 
the  Receiver ;  pays  in  specie,  or  with  his  warrant,  or  Vir- 


76  INSTRUCTIONS    TO    NEW-COMERS. 

ginia  land-script,  and  receives  a  duplicate  receipt  as  having 
paid  for  such  a  tract  of  land,  and,  in  the  course  of  one  or 
two  years,  he  presents  his  receipt  to  the  same  office,  and 
receives  a  patent  from  government ;  his  duplicate  receipt, 
however,  is  a  sufficient  warrantee  for  him  to  sell  and  convey 
the  land,  and  is  valid  in  law. 

To  enter  upon  and  settle  these  lands,  is  the  next  thing 
for  the  immigrant.  He  first  erects  a  small  cabin  of  boards, 
or  perhaps  of  logs,  sufficient  to  shield  himself  and  family 
from  "the  pitiless  peltings  of  the  storm,"  and,  with  eyes 
often  beaming  with  gladness,  enters  with  great  alacrity 
upon  the  thousand  and  one  little  works  of  necessity  and 
mercy  for  the  comfort  and  security  of  man  and  beast; 
•while  the  enormous  prairie  plow  is  set  in  motion  by  one 
whose  business  it  is  to  "  break  prairie"  at  $2-25  per  acre. 
This  large  machine  is,  to  the  new-comer,  a  curiosity :  it  is, 
in  all  respects,  like  other  plows,  but  much  larger  in  size ; 
being  10  feet  long,  and  cutting  a  furrow  of  some  22  to  24 
inches  in  width.  The  fore-end  of  the  beam  rests  upon  an 
axle,  with  wheels,  one  of  which  runs  in  the  furrow  and 
guages  the  width,  acting  like  the  wheel  of  the  locomotive 
upon  the  rail.  A  lever  is  attached  to  the  fore-end  of  the 
beam,  running  back  to  the  handles,  which  regulates  the 
depth  of  furrow,  and  throws  the  plow  out  when  desired. 
When  the  plow  is  once  set  in,  it  needs  no  further  attention 
in  good  prairie,  as  it  runs  alone,  and  the  driver  has  only  to 
attend  to  his  team,  which  consists  of  some  five  yoke  of 
oxen.  The  roots  of  the  wild  grass  are  much  longer  and 
harder  to  break  than  the  tame.  It  is  considered  best  to 


INSTRUCTIONS    TO    NEW-COMERS.  77 

break  the  ground  as  shallow  as  possible,  or  only  to  cut  a 
sufficient  depth  to  turn  over  the  roots  of  grass;  the  soil 
under  it  being  very  loose,  and  the  thinner  the  sod,  the 
sooner  it  will  rot.  Often  the  farmer  sends  his  boys  to  drop 
corn  along  every  third  or  fourth  furrow ;  and  corn  is  thus 
produced,  with  no  further  care,  yielding  30  bushels  to  the 
acre.  The  next  season  the  sod  is  well  rotted,  and  the  ground 
in  prime  order  for  wheat.  In  the  meantime,  the  immigrant 
encloses  his  fields,  either  with  sawed  lumber  or  rails,  as  cir- 
cumstances will  permit,  erects  his  dwelling,  and  begins  his 

"  Life  on  the  prairie  green, 
A  home  on  the  boundless  waste  I" 

The  soil  is  ready  to  till,  and  but  few  weeds  grow  for  the 
first  two  or  three  years.  As  I  have  before  said,  corn  is 
planted  and  grown  without  using  the  hoe :  the  horse  and 
plow  do  the  cultivating. 

The  Realities  of  a  Pioneer  Life  —  Obstacles  to  be  Sur- 
mounted—  The  Reward  in  Store. 

These  are  but  faint  outlines  of  opening  a  farm  in  the 
West.  The  immigrant  will  find  trials  and  hardships 
spring  up  around,  unlocked  for  in  the  old  settlement.  He 
will  find  that  his  ability  to  labor  is  not  as  great  in  his  new, 
unacclimated  home,  as  where  he  came  from  :  the  scarcity 
of  labor,  the  distance  from  towns,  villages,  and  market,  will 
throw  obstacles  in  the  way  of  his  progress,  and  he  may 
very  naturally  expect,  in  a  change  of  climate,  sickness  in 
his  family;  and  "  the  ills  that  life  is  heir  to,"  will,  perhaps, 
7* 


78  SKETCHES    ON   IOWA. 

tread  closely  upon  his  heels,  and  often  make  him  sigh  for 
"the  leeks  and  the  garlics"  he  left  behind  hhn.  There 
is  no  fancy  work  in  a  frontier  life,  except  to  him  who  is 
weaned  from  the  world  at  an  early  age,  and  assumes  the 
life  of  a  savage.  It  may  do  for  the  intelligent  and  enter- 
prising of  our  eastern  cities  to  build  for  themselves  fancied 
cottages  upon  our  western  lands  while  they  are  gorged  with 
the  pleasures  of  a  city  life ;  but  the  stern  reality  of  a  fron- 
tier life  will  not  be  all  sunshine  and  happiness ;  there  is 
labor  to  be  done  to  enjoy  it;  there  is  care  and  toil,  priva- 
tions and  sufferings,  universally  attendant  upon  any  one's 
settlement  in  the  new  portions  of  the  West;  and  he  who 
leaves  the  luxuries  of  the  East  and  moves  to  the  West, 
expecting  to  realize  the  fancied  sketches  of  rural  felicity, 
will  be  most  sadly  disappointed.  But  let  him  surmount 
these  obstacles,  and  he  can  make  himself  a  home  that  will 
yield  him  a  rich  and  lasting  harvest. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SKETCHES   BY  TRAVELLING  CONTRIBUTORS  TO  THE 
PRESS,   DESCRIPTIVE   OP  IOWA. 

THE  following  interesting  and  truthful  statistical  article 
from  the  Franklin  Democrat,  published  at  Brookville,  Ind., 
was  written  in  reply  to  a  paragraph  that  appeared  in  the 
American,  a  newspaper  published  in  the  same  town,  which 


SKETCHES    ON    IOWA.  79 

spoke  disparagingly  of  Iowa.  Mr.  Clarkson,  the  writer, 
has  for  twenty  years  been  conductor  of  a  newspaper,  and 
quite  recently  made  a  tour  through  our  State,  examining 
its  resources  and  its  adaptation  to  a  farming  community. 
He  therefore  speaks  from  personal  knowledge. 

"  Will  the  Iowa  fever  abate  f — There  is  such  a  rush  for 
Iowa  lands,  and  such  a  tide  of  emigration  in  that  direc- 
tion, that  croakers  begin  to  proclaim  that  '  the  Iowa  fever 
is  about  over/  As  sensible  men,  we  ought  to  look  at  this 
subject,  if  there  is  to  be  a  revulsion  in  matters  in  that 
region,  it  is  cruel  for  wise  heads  to  permit  the  simple 
minded  populace  to  rush  into  danger  unwarned.  It  will 
not  do  for  prophets  to  sneeringly  say,  <  Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper  ?' 

"  But  what  is  taking  the  people  to  Iowa  ?  This  is  a 
serious  question,  and  should  be  looked  full  in  the  face  by 
every  man  before  he  sells  his  farm  and  drags  his  family  to 
a  new  and  unknown  country.  It  is  not  a  sufficient  ex- 
cuse that  you  were  carried  away  by  the  popular  furor. 
But  the  matter  is  of  sufficient  importance  to  demand  the 
closest  scrutiny.  Will  you  do  so,  or  will  you  risk  the  con- 
sequences, and  then  when  you  have  squandered  your  means, 
and  beggared  your  family,  regret  your  rash  step. 

"  We  therefore  propose  to  look  to  this  question,  and  if 
we  err  in  any  matter,  for  the  sake  of  the  interests  of  crowd- 
ing thousands,  we  ask  to  be  corrected. 

"Iowa  is  larger  than  any  other  State  of  the  Union, 
being  about  14,000  square  miles  larger  than  New  York. 
It  has  more  rich  agricultural  lands  than  any  other  State  in 


80  SKETCHES    ON    IOWA. 

the  Union.  In  this  matter  we  speak  not  at  random. 
There  is  in  Iowa  40,000,000  of  acres — two-thirds  of  which 
at  least  is  equal  to  any  other  lands,  in  any  State,  already 
cleared,  and  ready  for  cultivation.  Or  in  other  words  there 
are  in  Iowa  about  28,000,000  of  acres  of  rich  prairie,  re- 
quiring no  tedious  labor  to  convert  it  into  productive  farms. 
This  is  more  land  for  real  cultivation  than  there  is,  or  ever 
will,  or  can  be  cultivated  in  New  York  and  the  six  New 
England  States.  And  when  cultivated  it  will  produce  double 
the  amount  to  the  acre  on  an  average  of  the  products  of 
Northern  farms,  and  with  half  the  labor  per  acre.  And 
although  there  is  a  large  portion  of  Illinois  equal  in  fer- 
tility and  productiveness  to  Iowa,  yet  the  south  half  of 
Illinois  will  not  compare  with  it — in  fact  a  large  portion  is 
useless.  So  we  can  safely  say  that  Iowa  in  a  few  years 
will  have  more  good  improved  farm  lands  than  the  three 
States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois.  We  dare  any  one 
that  doubts  this,  to  test  it  by  the  figures.  By  the  census 
of  1850,  we  learn  that  Ohio  had  9,851,493  acres  of  im- 
proved land,  Indiana  5,046,543,  and  Illinois  5,039,545, 
in  all  19,937,581  acres.  When  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illi- 
nois shall  add  50  per  cent  to  their  farms,  they  will  fall 
short  of  the  amount  which  will,  without  the  least  contin- 
gency or  doubt,  be  cultivated  in  Iowa  in  a  few  years.  This 
is  allowing  for  12,000,000  of  acres  in  that  State  for  waste 
and  timber,  and  for  wasting  with  towns  and  cities.  This 
then  is  the  extent  of  the  field  for  agricultural  operations. 
Is  it  not  large  enough  to  command  our  respect? 

"  It  is  healthy.     This  we  have  spoken  of  in  a  previous 


SKETCHES    ON    IOWA.  81 

article.  But  it  is  useless  to  dwell  on  this  subject.  All  tho 
land  on  the  face  of  the  earth  north  of  41  degrees  is 
healthy,  unless  there  be  some  immediate  local  cause  for 
disease. 

"  Its  natural  commercial  advantages  are  not  inferior  to 
any  inland  State.  Its  eastern  and  western  borders  are 
swept  for  the  whole  extent  by  the  mightiest  rivers  in  the 
world,  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri.  It  has  also  the  Des 
Moines,  the  Iowa,  and  the  Cedar  rivers,  all  navigable  for 
some  distance  in  wet  seasons. 

And  in  the  construction  of  its  artificial  channels  of  trade 
there  is  likely  to  be  more  sense  manifested  than  in  most 
States.  The  railroads  projected,  and  now  being  vigorously 
prosecuted,  are  all  running  parallel  with  each  other,  and  far 
enough  apart  not  to  conflict  with  each  other's  interests,  but 
so  as  to  accommodate  all  the  citizens  of  the  State.  They 
all  run  from  east  to  west  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Missouri.  In  no  other  State  has  nature  so  positively 
directed  where  the  great  thoroughfares  should  be  made — 
and  nowhere  has  man  been  evidently  so  willing  to  listen 
to  the  teachings  of  Providence.  The  roads  all  run  in 
about  equidistant  parallel  lines  through  the  State.  There 
are  four  of  them  now  so  far  advanced,  that  no  one  asks 
« Will  they  ever  be  built  ?' 

"  Iowa  is  finely  watered.  The  water  from  springs  and 
wells  is  fine,  cool,  and  healthy.  No  difficulty  in  this  respect 
in  any  part  of  the  State. 

"  Stone  coal  is  abundant.  This  in  a  prairie  country  is 
almost  indispensable.  With  it  no  one  is  in  doubt  about 


82  SKETCHES    ON    IOWA. 

what  will  be  done  for  wood.  In  fact,  without  it  the  coun- 
try would  not  be  very  densely  populated,  as  all  its  timber 
is  needed  for  fences  and  buildings. 

"In  most  parts  of  the  State,  building-stone  is  plenty, 
and  in  some  places  of  a  superior  quality — both  limestone 
and  sandstone.  This  is  an  item  that  cannot  be  overlooked. 
Portions  of  Indiana  and  Illinois  are  so  destitute  of  build- 
ing material,  as  to  depreciate  the  value  of  their  rich  lands. 

"  Then  it  has  the  soil — water — coal — stone — rivers,  and 
railroads,  to  make  it  a  great  agricultural  State. 

«  C.  F.  CLARKSON." 

A  writer  in  the  Express  and  Herald,  Dubuque,  makes 
the  following  remarks  : 

"We  have  traversed  the  State  of  Iowa  from  east  to 
west,  from  north  to  south.  We  have  gazed  in  admira- 
tion on  her  wide  and  lovely  prairies,  stretching  away  on 
every  side  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  presenting  the 
appearance  of  a  boundless  ocean  covered  with  luxuriant 
grass.  In  other  sections  of  the  State,  we  have  lingered  by 
her  purling  streams,  as  they  meandered  through  her 
primeval  forests.  We  have  stood  by  the  cascades  and  rapids 
of  her  rivers,  and  know  that  she  possesses  water-power 
sufficient  to  turn  machinery  that  could  supply  manufactures 
for  the  whole  North  American  Continent.  We  have  also 
inspected  her  rich,  loamy  soil,  of  almost  inexhaustible  fer- 
tility, and  wandered  among  her  thousand  rolling  lawns  and 
romantic  dells,  that  abound  with  minerals  more  valuable 
than  gold. 


SKETCHES    ON    IOWA.  83 

"  The  climate  is  salubrious ;  the  soil  exceedingly  rich, 
producing  in  abundance  all  the  necessaries  of  life;  the 
water  is  of  unsurpassed  quality,  and  no  other  known  region 
excels  her  in  virgin  springs  and  bubbling  fountains  of  the 
most  delicious  coolness  and  purity. 

"  With  regard  to  an  advantageous  geographical  position, 
Iowa  could  hardly  be  rivalled.  Her  territory  lies  between 
two  of  the  largest  rivers  on  the  globe,  both  navigable  for 
many  hundreds  of  miles  above  her,  and  making,  on  the 
other  hand,  an  open  highway  of  commerce  to  the  ocean 
within  the  tropics.  Situated  as  she  is,  away  in  the  heart 
of  the  continent,  far  from  the  national  frontier,  she  will 
never  be  subject  to  the  inroads  of  a  foreign  enemy's  troops, 
in  case  of  war.  Such  a  foe  can  never  penetrate  the  coun- 
try so  far  as  to  reach  her  territory. 

"  To  those  who  never  travelled  through  the  "West,  much 
that  is  reported  of  it  is  utterly  incredible ;  although  west- 
ern resources,  and  western  capabilities  have  never  been  fully 
described.  The  State  of  Iowa  alone  is  capable  of  sustaining 
twenty  millions  of  inhabitants,  and  then  will  not  be  so  thickly 
peopled  as  some  European  countries.  Her  whole  area  is 
susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  were  its  powers  fully  devel- 
oped, we  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying  that  it  would  produce 
sufficient  food  to  sustain  fifty  millions  of  people. 

"  In  relation  to  the  climate,  the  soil,  the  water-power, 
and  the  capabilities  of  Iowa,  there  is  one  thing  we  would 
say,  namely,  if  any  one  has  doubts  about  them  let  him 
come  and  see.  Travelling  facilities  are  good,  and  if  you  do 
not  like  our  beautiful  State,  it  is  easy  to  get  away." 


84  SKETCHES    ON    IOWA. 

The  following  true  and  eloquent  remarks  are  from  a  letter 
to  the  New  York  Tribune,  descriptive  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi; written  by  Charles  A.  Dana,  Esq.,  one  of  its 
editors : 

"  Certainly,  of  all  our  rivers,  the  Mississippi  is  the  most 
picturesque,  and  most  beautiful.  I  speak  now  of  that 
portion  of  it  above  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri ;  for  the  rest 
'I  have  not  seen.  Magnitude  with  the  most  delicate  finish, 
grandeur  of  outline  with  exquisite  beauty  of  detail,  are 
the  characteristics  of  its  scenery.  The  broad  and  powerful 
stream  is  broken  by  frequent  islands  covered  with  dense 
foliage,  which,  at  this  season  at  least,  is  deliciously  fresh 
and  green,  and  bordered  by  lofty  bluffs,  far  more  beautiful 
than  the  Palisades  of  the  Hudson,  rising  in  every  fantastic 
variety  of  form,  with  abrupt  and  craggy  rocks  in  front,  but 
with  the  most  perfect  green  sward  stretching  back  to  the 
prairie  in  the  rear,  or  sloping  down  in  lonely  hollows  and 
charming  nooks  that  break  the  continuity  of  this  river 
wall,  and  give  constant  change  and  delight  to  the  bachelor. 
These  hills  all  wear  the  aspect  of  old  cultivation ;  and  the 
groves  of  oak  that  dot  their  smooth  surface,  scattered  along 
their  sides,  or  perched  like  orchards  on  their  summits,  have 
nothing  wild,  and  favor  the  illusion.  The  rocks  that  form 
the  foundation  of  the  bluffs,  and  chiefly  face  the  river,  da 
not  rise  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge,  but  break  out 
about  half  way  up  the  height,  to  tower  perpendicularly  and 
broken,  in  the  form  of  ancient  walls,  or  castle  battlements ; 
so  that  the  very  Rhine  does  not  seem  more  historic  in  its 
appearance.  At  a  little  distance,  so  regular  are  these  walls, 


SKETCHES    ON    IOWA.  85 

so  true  often  the  culminating  point,  so  regular  the  abrasuros 
of  time  and  weather,  that  it  is  difficult  not  to  believe  that 
some  race  of  barbarians  built  these  fastnesses,  and  long  ago 
left  them  to  fall  to  ruin.  As  I  said,  no  river  is  so  rich  in 
all  the  elements  of  beauty — and  there  are  Indian  legends 
enough  for  romantic  association — but,  above  all,  no  river 
is  so  rich  in  all  the  elements  of  power.  We  gaze  with 
wonder  at  these  astonishing  fields,  prepared  by  nature  her- 
self, where  the  first  tool  of  the  pioneer  is  the  plow — and  at 
this  soil,  whose  teeming  richness  and  facility  of  culture 
announces  the  future  home  of  millions.  There's  no  region 
on  earth,  I  think,  which  can  sustain  a  larger  population 
than  that  on  both  sides  of  the  Northern  Mississippi.  A 
rich  soil,  suited  to  every  product  of  the  temperate  zone,  and 
absolutely  inviting  the  hand  of  the  farmer;  a  climate 
genial  but  not  enervating ;  frequent  streams  to  afford  water- 
power,  and  fuel  abundant  on  the  earth ;  the  great  river  for 
a  highway,  and  railroads,  which  in  forty-eight  hours  land 
the  traveller  on  the  Atlantic — with  all  these  advantages 
the  entire  country  must  become  the  home  of  one  of  the 
freest,  most  intelligent,  most  powerful,  and  most  inde- 
pendent communities  of  the  world.  Nowhere  else  has  the 
hand  of  Providence  so  marked  out  the  foundations  of  an 
empire ;  nowhere  else  is  there  such  an  influx  of  immigra- 
tion from  all  directions." 

The  following  is  extracted  from  the  contributions  to  the 
Lutheran  Observer,  by  a  clergyman,  travelling  in  Iowa : 
"We  now  come  to  Iowa,  which  is  like  the  valley  of 
8 


86  SKETCHES    ON    IOWA. 

Eshcol,  or  the  land  of  G-oshen.  The  first  impression  has 
a  powerful  effect  for  good  or  evil.  A  man  entering  into 
Iowa  at  this  point,  is  very  favorably  impressed — you  have 
now  passed  over  the  railroad  for  more  than  1000  miles,  and 
you  have  passed  through  forests  and  prairies  in  Ohio,  Indi- 
ana, Michigan  and  Illinois,  and  you  are  almost  ready  to 
imagine  that  you  have  passed  beyond  the  boundaries  of 
civilization ;  or  at  most  you  look  for  nothing  more  than  the 
effects  produced  by  the  spray  of  the  waves  of  civilization 
as  they  roll  into  the  west.  But  you  are  mistaken ;  you 
land  at  Dubuque,  Davenport,  Burlington,  Keokuk,  or  Mus- 
catine,  and  find  yourself  in  the  very  heart  of  civilization 
and  refinement.  You  see  magnificent  churches,  and 
gorgeous  dwellings,  and  large,  wide  streets.  Everything 
has  an  air  of  neatness  and  purity.  And  then  too  you  see 
indications  of  life  and  animation — you  see  the  large  stores 
and  warehouses  groaning  under  the  weight  of  their  valua- 
ble commodities — you  hear  the  puffing  of  the  steam- 
engine,  and  hear  the  cheerful  ringing  of  the  anvil.  You 
can  hardly  think  it  possible  that  you  are  more  than  1000 
miles  west  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  a  land  where  the 
savage,  but  a  few  years  since,  was  sole  occupant.  But  so 
it  is.  You  look  round  awhile  in  the  city,  and  then  you 
ascend  the  rising  ground  back  of  the  city  to  take  your  first 
view  of  Iowa,  for  up  to  this  time  you  have  seen  nothing 
of  this  beautiful  State,  but  a  little  slip  of  land  between 
the  river  and  the  bluff.  The  bluff  is  covered  with  forest 
trees,  and  you  have  to  pass  on  nearly  a  mile  before  you 
have  a  fair  view  of  Iowa,  but  when  you  get  out  of  the 


SKETCHES    ON    IOWA.  87 

forest,  a  view  bursts  in  upon  your  vision,  such  as  you  have 
never  seen  before,  unless  you  saw  it  in  some  other  part  of 
Iowa.  Language  utterly  fails  to  describe  such  a  panoramic 
view.  Oh,  it  is  a  glorious  sight !  It  would  be  worth  a 
journey  from  the  Atlantic,  just  to  gaze  upon  it  for  one 
half  hour,  and  then  return  and  see  it  no  more.  The  view 
that  bursts  in  upon  you  is  not  an  Alpine  one,  to  strike  you 
dumb  with  amazement  and  terror,  nor  is  it  the  long- 
stretching,  low,  flat,  and  uninteresting  view  of  a  Texan  or 
Illinois  prairie,  that  reminds  you  of  the  smooth  and  un- 
ruffled lake.  But  you  have  a  panorama  of  a  soft,  green, 
and  gently  undulating  world  of  beauty  and  loveliness, 
stretching  out  into  the  blue  distance,  bounded  by  the 
gently  curving  heavens,  and  dotted  all  over  with  the  habi- 
tations of  man,  and  beautifully  variegated  with  flowers  and 
trees.  Many  have  crossed  wide  oceans  to  see  sights  and 
wonders,  and  never  saw  one  like  this.  You  have  before 
you  a  panoramic  view  of  from  eight  to  twelve  hundred 
square  miles  of  as  fine  and  undulating,  and  fertile  prairie 
as  is  to  be  found  in  the  world.  It  looks  like  a  land  of  en- 
chantment where  the  fairies  might  reside.  It  is  the  vale 
of  Tempe,  on  a  huge  and  colossal  scale.  The  far  distant 
horizon  seems  fringed  with  trees,  whose  green  foliage  looks 
like  festoons.  This  beautiful  country  is  dotted  all  over 
with  neat  farm-houses,  and  variegated  with  orchards  and 
groves  planted  by  the  hands  of  man.  There  are  no  stones, 
and  although  much  undulating,  or  rather  rolling,  yet  it  is 
nowhere  so  abrupt  as  to  be  even  inconvenient  for  the 
plow.  The  fertility  of  the  soil  is  very  great,  so  much  so, 
that  if  you  but  tickle  the  earth,  even  with  a  wooden  im- 


88  SKETCHES    ON    IOWA. 

plement,  an  abundant  crop  will  smile  forth.  No  country 
in  the  world  will  reward  the  husbandman  more  abundantly, 
The  farmer  has  but  little  to  do.  When  he  has  his  house 
and  stabling  built,  and  his  land  fenced  and  broken  up,  he 
has  but  little  else  to  do  but  gather  in  his  produce,  and 
spend  the  balance  of  his  life  in  comfort  and  ease.  Here 
the  man  with  a  little  means  can  enjoy  Virgil's  "Otium  cum 
dignitate,"  to  his  heart's  content.  Timber  is  scarce,  but 
as  coal  is  abundant,  and  lumber  for  building  and  fencing 
can  always  be  had  at  the  river,  the  want  of  timber  is  no 
great  loss.  Indeed  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  any  great  ad- 
vantage to  the  farmer  to  own  timber  land.  In  an  econom- 
ical point  of  view,  the  farmer  can  make  more  by  cultivating 
his  prairie  land,  than  he  could  from  his  timber.  All  kinds 
of  fruit  trees  and  grain  are  easily  raised.  The  water  is 
good.  The  air  is  pure  and  salubrious.  The  winds  are 
pretty  strong — the  winters,  it  is  said,  are  severe,  but  gene- 
rally dry,  and  bracing  to  the  system.  Autumnal  fevers  in 
some  parts  of  Iowa  are  common,  and  will  be  until  the 
country  is  more  improved,  when  the  malaria  which  now 
rises  out  of  the  virgin  soil  will  no  longer  exist.  This  is 
the  country  for  our  industrious  Pennsylvania  farmer.  Here 
he  can  farm  without  much  labor,  and  by  economy  add  farm 
to  farm.  The  poor  man  too  can  find  a  home  here,  and 
plenty  to  do  and  plenty  to  eat.  This  is  a  land  like  Canaan 
described  in  Deuteronomy,  viii :  8—9.  '  A  land  of  wheat, 
and  barley,  and  vines — a  land  wherein  thou  shalt  eat  bread 
without  scarceness,  thou  shalt  not  lack  any  thing  in  it. 
When  tbou  hast  eaten  and  art  full,  then  thou  shalt  bless  the 
Lord  thy  God,  for  the  good  land  he  hath  given  unto  tbee.'  " 


RAILROADS.  89 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

RAILROADS. 

THERE  are  several  very  important  railroad  lines  projected, 
Borne  of  which  are  partly  under  contract,  and  others  of 
which  may  not  be  built  for  years.  Three  different  lines 
have  been  explored  and  surveyed,  commencing  at  Davenport, 
as  follows : 

One  from  Davenport,  through  Muscatine,  thence  through 
the  northern  part  of  Louisa  County,  and  through  Wash- 
ington, Keokuk,  Mahaska,  Marion,  Warren,  Madison, 
Adair,  Adams,  and  Montgomery  Counties,  to  the  Missouri 
River,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Platte. 

Another  from  Davenport,  through  Scott,  Johnson,  Iowa, 
Powesheik,  Jasper,  Polk,  Dallas,  Guthrie,  Audubon,  and 
Shelby  Counties,  to  the  Missouri  River,  in  Pottawattamie 
County.  This  was  completed  to  Iowa  City,  Jan.  1,  1856. 

A  third  line,  from  Muscatine,  through  Cedar  and  Linn 
Counties,  to  Cedar  Rapids,  with  a  view  to  the  further  con- 
tinuation of  the  line  northwestwardly,  into  the  Territory 
of  Minnesota. 

These  explorations  were  made  under  the  direction  of 
Henry  Farnam,  Chief  Engineer ;  and  in  December,  1852, 
an  association  was  formed,  under  the  general  laws  of  Iowa. 
8* 


90  RAILROADS. 

The  routes  embraced  in  the  Articles  of  Association  are, 
a  line  from  Davenport,  by  way  of  Muscatine,  to  the  south- 
ern or  western  boundary  of  Iowa;  and  northwardly,  by 
way  of  Cedar  Rapids,  up  the  Cedar  Valley  to  the  north 
line  of  the  State  of  Iowa;  thus  combining,  in  one  organ- 
ization, a  system  of  railroads  for  central  Iowa,  whose  eastern 
terminus  shall  be  the  bridge  over  the  Mississippi  River  at 
Davenport.  Those  portions  of  these  roads  between  Daven- 
port and  Iowa  City,  between  Muscatine  and  the  Junc- 
tion with  the  M.  and  M.  road,  were  completed  about  the 
first  of  January,  and  have  been  doing  a  good  business. 

Nothing  has  been  done  towards  the  Muscatine,  Cedar 
Rapids,  and  Minnesota  Division  of  the  M.  and  M.  R.  R., 
except  the  pledge  of  stock  by  some  of  the  counties  along 
the  line ;  but  if  a  practicable  route,  and  the  company  put 
their  hands  to  the  Work,  the  road  will  be  speedily  built. 

The  Chief  Engineer  says  of  the  country,  "  In  November, 
1854,  in  company  with  John  B.  Jervis,  Esq.,  Consulting 
Engineer,  James  Archibald,  Esq.,  a  distinguished  engineer, 
General  George  B.  Sargeant,  of  Davenport,  and  the  Hon. 
N.  B.  Judd,  of  Chicago,  I  passed  over  the  line  from  Iowa 
City  to  Fort  Des  Moines,  and  thence  down  the  '  divide ' 
between  the  Des  Moines  and  Skunk,  to  Oskaloosa,  and  from 
Oskaloosa,  through  Keokuk,  Washington,  and  Louisa 
Counties,  to  Muscatine.  The  whole  country  on  both  routes 
is  one  of  unsurpassed  beauty  and  fertility.  Since  then,  I 
have  passed  over  the  line  from  Muscatine  to  Cedar  Rapids. 
No  more  beautiful  or  productive  region  of  country  can  ba 


EAILEOADS.  91 

found  in  the  Union.  There  is  literally  no  waste  land  to  be 
found,  and  the  settlements  are  such  that  a  railroad  would 
be  immediately  productive.  The  entire  land  on  each  of 
the  routes  from  Davenport  to  Fort  Des  Moines,  from  Mus- 
catine  to  Oskaloosa,  and  from  Muscatine  to  Cedar  Kapids, 
has  been  all  purchased  of  the  Government,  and  the  State 
of  Iowa  is  settling  with  a  rapidity  unparalleled  in  the  history 
of  any  State." 

The  Mississippi  Bridge,  at  Davenport,  connects  the 
Chicago  and  Rock  Island,  and  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
railroads;  making  one  continuous  line,  without  interrup- 
tion or  break  of  guage,  from  Chicago  to  the  Missouri  River. 
The  people  of  Iowa,  Western  Minnesota,  and  those  who 
are  to  cultivate  the  fertile  soil  of  Nebraska,  will  never  con- 
sent to  be  shut  out  from  the  Atlantic  and  the  great  West- 
ern lakes  by  any  pretended  obstruction  which  a  bridge  built 
on  the  plan  proposed  may  offer.  The  bridge  spans  the 
Mississippi  on  the  Rapids,  where  the  current  is  compressed 
to  a  narrow  space,  so  that  boats,  to  strike  the  piers  on 
either  side,  will  first  have  to  surmount  rocks  which  Na- 
ture has  had  fixed  as  impediments  to  navigation  for  centu- 
ries, and  of  which  the  proposed  improvement  of  the  Rapids 
does  not  contemplate  the  removal.  Simply  a  skeleton 
railroad  bridge,  the  draw  will  always  be  up,  save  when  the 
cars  are  actually  crossing ;  which  never  can  occur  when  a 
steamboat  is  passing,  except  by  the  grossest  negligence. 
For  the  reasons  thus  concisely  given,  we  argue  that  this 
bridge  will  prove  no  obstruction  to  the  navigation  of  the 
river. 


92  BAILROADS. 

The  estimated  cost  of  the  before-mentioned  lines,  for 
grading  and  bridging,  track  superstructure,  equipments, 
station  buildings,  engineering  and  contingencies,  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Average 
Division.  Dist.  Miles.  Cost.  per  Mile. 

Davenport  to  Iowa  City 64-92  $1,516,790-00  $27,618-00 

Iowa  City  to  Fort  Des  Moines  119-00  3,554,870-00  29,873.00 

Muscatine  to  Oskaloosa 95-27  2,557,500-00  26,845.00 

Muscatine  to  Cedar  Rapids..     62-64  1,493,250-00  23,839.00 

Making,  in  the  aggregate,  $9,122,410-00 

Several  other  railroad  lines  are  proposed,  and  in  part 
under  contract,  which  we  will  mention  : 

The  Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad,  being  a 
continuation  of  the  Chicago  and  Burlington  Railroad, 
passes  west,  through  the  centres  of  Henry,  Jefferson,  Wa- 
pello,  Monroe,  Lucas,  Clarke,  Union,  Adams,  Montgomery, 
and  Mills  Counties,  striking  the  Missouri  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Platte,  or  Nebraska  River,  some  twenty- 
five  miles  below  Council  Bluffs.  This  road  is  under  con- 
tract to  Wapello  County,  and  the  prospects  of  an  early 
completion  are  good.  Burlington  has  recently  had  railroad 
connection  with  Chicago,  "  through  by  daylight." 

The  Northern  Iowa  Railroad,  a  continuation  of  the  Il- 
linois Central,  is  projected  from  Dubuque  west,  through 
the  Counties  of  Dubuque,  Delaware,  Buchanan,  Blackhawk, 
Grundy,  Hardin,  Webster,  Calhoun,  Sac,  Ida,  and  Wood- 
bury,  striking  the  Missouri  at  Sergeant's  Bluffs,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Sioux  River.  A  branch  of  this  road  is 
also  projected  to  run  from  Delhi,  in  Delaware  County, 


RAILROADS.  93 

north,  through  Clayton,  Fayette,  and  "Winnesheik,  to  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota.  The  Trunk  road  is  called  "Dubuque 
and  Pacific." 

The  Des  Moines  Valley  Railroad  is  to  leave  the  Missis- 
sippi at  Keokuk,  passing  through  Lee,  Van  Buren,  Jeffer- 
son, Wapello,  Mahaska,  Marion,  and  Jasper,  to  Fort  Dea 
Moines,  there  connecting  with  two  east  and  west  lines. 
This  is  considered  by  many  as  being  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant routes,  as  the  Des  Moines  Valley,  in  mineral  and 
agricultural  productions,  is  the  richest  valley  in  the  State. 
This  road  is  under  contract  to  Ottumwa. 

Two  lines  of  railroad  are  being  built,  to  connect  with 
the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  which  terminates 
at  Fulton,  111.,  on  the  Mississippi  River.  One  of  these, 
the  Chicago,  Iowa,  and  Nebraska  Railroad  is  to  run  west 
from  the  new  town  of  Clinton  (2|  miles  below  Lyons), 
through  Clinton,  Cedar,  and  Linn  Counties,  to  Cedar 
Rapids.  This,  their  first  Division,  is  to  be  completed  and 
running  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Wapsis'  River,  40  miles, 
by  the  1st  of  November,  1856,  and  to  Cedar  Rapids  within 
two  years.  Thence  this  road  is  to  continue  through  Ben- 
ton,  Tama,  Grundy,  Hardin,  and  Webster,  to  Fort  Dodge, 
thence  te  the  Missouri  River.  Besides  this,  the  Iowa 
Central  Air  Line  Company  have  their  road  contracted  to 
be  built  from  Lyons  City  on  the  Mississippi,  through  Ma- 
quoketa,  Wyoming,  Anamosa  and  Marion  to  Cedar  Rapids. 
This  is  the  first  division  of  their  road,  and  they  expect  to 
have  it  graded  to  Cedar  Rapids  during  the  present  year. 
Thence,  this  road  is  projected  to  run  through  the  middle 
tier  of  counties,  to  the  Missouri  in  Monona  County. 


94  RAILROADS. 

The  following  Table  of  distances  exhibits  the  advantages 
possessed  by  these  roads : 

Miles. 
From    Iowa  City,   via  Junction  and  Davenport,  to  Chicago  242 


«  "  Clinton 

Cedar  Rapids,  "  Iowa  City  and  Davenport, 

"  "  Tipton,  Junction,     " 

«  "  Marion,     Anamosa,    and 

Maquoketa 

"  "  Detroit  and  Clinton 

Muscatine,        "  Junction  and  Davenport, 

"  "         "  "   Wapsipinnicon, 

"  "        "         Detroit  and  Clinton, 


202 
267 
254 


223 
209 
224 
200 
190 


A  preliminary  survey  has  been  made  of  a  railroad  from 
Keokuk  to  Davenport,  via  Montrose,  West  Point,  Mount 
Pleasant,  Columbus  City,  and  Muscatine ;  the  entire  dis- 
tance being  70|  miles.  The  estimated  cost  of  this  road, 
including  furniture,  depots,  fencing,  &c.,  is  $1,911,934. 
This  is  one  of  the  many  roads  which  will  seek  the  bridge 
at  Davenport  as  the  Mississippi  crossing. 

We  doubt  not  that  those  railroad  lines  penetrating  into 
the  State,  which  are  continuations  of  roads  from  the  East 
and  South,  will  be  pushed  forward  to  an  early  completion. 

The  construction  of  the  several  roads  reaching  from  Chi- 
cago towards  the  Mississippi  River  demonstrates  that  rail- 
roads may  be  constructed  through  a  country  of  prairie  on 
the  line  of  emigration,  and  yield  a  profit  as  soon  and  as  far 
as  opened.  The  receipts  of  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island 
Road  from  the  10th  of  July  to  the  10th  of  January 
were  $710,688-86.  Running  expenses  for  the  same  time, 


BAILROAD8.  95 

$440,764-86;  leaving  a  balance  of  $270,894.  The  whole 
number  of  passengers  passing  over  the  road  for  the  five 
months  ending  December  1st,  amounted  to  168,824 ;  total 
amount  of  freight  transported  during  the  same  time,  49,734 
tons.  » 

We  give  the  statistics  of  this  road,  because  it  was  the 
first  which  reached  the  Mississippi,  and  reliable  facts  could 
be  more  easily  obtained.  Nor  is  this  railroad  an  exception 
— every  road  to  the  Mississippi  has  paid  well,  as  far  and 
as  fast  as  completed. 

The  Mississippi  Railroad  Bridge. 

The  great  Railroad  Bridge  crossing  the  Mississippi  at 
Davenport  is  steadily  progressing,  and  will  be  completed  and 
in  use  early  this  spring.  Its  entire  length  will  be  5832 
feet,  consisting  of  spans  of  250  feet  each,  exclusive  of 
bearings.  The  river  is  divided  into  two  channels  at  this 
point  by  the  beautiful  isle,  Rock  Island.  The  main  channel 
is  on  the  Iowa  side,  the  second  channel  upon  the  Illinois 
side  of  the  river.  That  portion  of  the  bridge  over  the 
main  channel  is  1583  feet  in  length.  The  circular-shaped 
draw-pier,  which  stands  near  the  centre  of  this  channel,  is 
40  feet  in  height,  46  feet  in  diameter  at  the  foundation, 
and  37  at  the  top. 

On  each  side  of  the  draw-pier  is  a  draw  of  120  feet, 
working  on  the  rotary  principle;  making,  in  all,  a  clear 
space  of  240  feet  for  the  passage  of  river  craft.  These 
draws  are  open  at  all  times,  save  when  a  train  is  due ;  and 


96  RAILROADS. 

even  in  that  case,  if  a  boat  is  in  sight,  it  will  have  the 
preference. 

The  average  height  of  the  bridge  is  30  feet  above  low 
water. 

Besides  the  draw-pier,  there  are  five  others.  These  are 
oblong  in  shape,  and  measure,  at  their  base,  57  feet  by  16 
to  18 ;  at  their  top,  24  feet  by  7  to  10. 

There  are  two  abutments,  one  on  the  island  and  one  on 
the  Iowa  shore,  containing  together  about  six  thousand 
yards  of  masonry. 

This  bridge  connects  with  a  huge  embankment,  built 
over  the  lower  point  of  the  island,  which  lies  very  low, 
containing  125,000  cubic  yards  of  earth,  and  costing  forty 
thousand  dollars.  At  the  west  end,  this  embankment  con- 
nects with  another  bridge,  of  less  dimensions,  over  the  Il- 
linois channel  of  the  Mississippi.  This  lesser  bridge  has 
two  piers,  and  three  spans,  of  150  feet  each,  all  constructed 
in  the  same  style,  and  upon  the  same  principle,  as  those 
of  the  bridge  over  the  main  channel. 

The  entire  length  of  the  two  bridges  and  the  intervening 
embankment  is  5,832  feet.  The  cost  of  the  entire  work 
will  be  §260,000.  The  bridges  are  being  built  for  a  single 
track.  Their  wooden  work  will  be  of  pine  and  oak.  Mr. 
John  Warner  has  the  contract  for  the  masonry  and  grading, 
and  Messrs.  Stone  and  Boomer  for  the  superstructure.  The 
contractors  are  all  energetic  men,  and  are  doing  the  work 
with  the  utmost  fidelity.  The  bridges  are  built  according 
to  Howe's  improved  patent,  and  when  completed  will  be 
models  of  strength  and  beauty. 


DISTANCES    BY    BAIL    ROAD. 


97 


This  Great  Bridge  has  naturally  attracted  attention  from 
every  part  of  the  Union.  The  design  is  indeed  a  colossal 
one,  and  one  which  can  only  be  accomplished  by  men  of 
stout  hearts  and  of  iron  nerve.  For  many  long  years  the 
Mississippi  has  been  considered  an  insuperable  obstacle  to 
the  continuity  of  all  great  thoroughfares,  from  the  Atlantic' 
to  the  Pacific.  Happily  for  the  best  interests  of  the  West, 
and  indeed,  the  whole  world  of  commerce,  a  rare  combina- 
tion of  natural  facilities  at  this  point,  of  the  resources  of 
modern  science,  of  eastern  capital,  and  of  western  enter- 
prise, has  made  the  project  practicable,  and  insured  its  com- 
pletion within  the  present  year.  Its  opening  will  mark  a 
new  era  in  the  history  of  Commerce,  and  in  the  annals  of 
the  Great  West. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

RAILROAD  DISTANCES   ON   THE  VARIOUS  LINES,  CONNECT- 
ING  CHICAGO   WITH   THE    STATE   OP  IOWA. 


CHICAGO  AND   ROCK    ISLAND 

RAIL  ROAD. 
From  Chicago  to  Miles. 

Junction 6 

Blue  Island 9 

Bremen 8 

Mokena 6 

Joliet 11 

Minooka 10 

Morris 11 

9 


Seneca 10 

Marseilles 5 

Ottawa 8 

Utica 9 

LaSalle 5 

(111.  Central  RR.  crosses). 

Peru 1 

Trenton 10 

Bureau  Junction 4 

Tiskihva...  9 


98 


DISTANCES    BY    RAIL    ROAD. 


Pond  Creek 6 

Sheffield 10 

Anawan 7 

Geneseo 13 

Colona 10 

Moline 10 

Rock  Island 3 

Total 181 

Davenport   opposite    side 
of  River. 

CHICAGO,     BURLINGTON  AND 

QCINCY  RAIL  ROAD. 
From  Chicago  to  Miles. 

OakRidge 8 

Cottage  Hill 8 

Babcock's  Grove 4 

Danby 2 

Wheaton 3 

Winfield  2 

Junction ;  3 

Batavia 6 

Aurora 7 

Montgomery 3 

Oswego , 2 

Bristol 3 

Piano 6 

Newark 5 

Somonauk 3 

Waverly 6 

Earl 7 

Mendota 11 

(Crosses  Illinois  Central). 

Arlington 9 

Dover 7 

Princeton 6 

Wyanet 6 

French  Grove 6 


Neplionset 7 

Kewanee 7 

Galoy 8 

Walnut 8 

Wataga 8 

Galesburg. 8 

Monmouth , 8 

Young  America 8 

Miss.  River,  opposite  Bur- 
lington   18 

Total 203 

DISTANCES   ON  THE  CHICAGO 

AND  DIXON  RAIL  ROAD. 
From  Chicago  to  Miles. 

OakRidge 8 

Cottage  Hill 8     16 

Babcock's  Grove 4     20 

Danby 2     22 

Wheaton 3     25 

Winfield 2     27 

Junction 3     30 

Geneva 6     35 

Blackberry 9     44 

Lodi 6    50 

Courtland 5     55 

DeKalb 3     58 

Dement 8     C6 

Lane 6     72 

Ogle 8     80 

Franklin 7     87 

Taylor 4     91 

Dixon 4     96 

Sterling 13  109 

Union  Grove 15  124 

Fulton 10  134 

A  road  is  projected 
fro^n  Racine,  Wiscon- 


DISTANCES    BY    RAIL   ROAD. 


99 


sin,  through  Beloit, 
Freeport,  etc.,  to  Ful- 
ton. 

As  a  continuation 
westward,  two  roads 
are  being  built,  the 
"Chicago,  Iowa,  and 
Nebraska,"  from  Clin- 
ton, and  the  "  Iowa 
Central  Air  Line  from 
Lyons." 

DISTANCE  ON  THE  GALENA  AND 

CHICAGO  RAIL  ROAD. 
From  Chicago  to  Miles. 

Junction  (See  foregoing 

table)  30 

"Wayne 5       35 

Clinton ,     4       39 

Elgin 3       42 

Gilbert's 8       50 

Huntley's 6      55 

Union „     7       62 


Marengo 4  66 

Garden  Prairie 6  72 

Belvidere : 6  78 

Cherry  Valley.........  6  84 

Rockford 8  92 

Winnebago 7  99 

Pecatonica 7  106 

Nevada...                 ,  8  114 


Freeport. 


7  121 

Eleroy 8  129 

Lena 5  134 

Nora 7  141 

Warren 4  145 

Apple  River 6  151 

Scales  Mound 8  159 

Council  Hill 5  164 

Galena 7  171 

Dunleith 10  181 

This  road  is  intended  to 
connect  with  the  Northern 
Iowa  RR,  projected  from  Du- 
buque  west  towards  the  Mis- 
souri. 


DISTANCES  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI  AND  MISSOURI  RAIL  ROAD. 

First  General  Division,  from  Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs. 
From  Davenport  to  Miles. 

Wolcott 12 

Farnam 17 

Durant 20 

Junction  of  Muscatine  and  Cedar  Rapids' 27 

Moscow,  on  Cedar  River 30 

West  Liberty 39 

Iowa  City 55 

(-Centre  of  Iowa  County 85 

"         Powesheik  County Ill 

Newton,  Jasper  County 141 

.Fort  Des  Moines 174 

Council  Bluffs ,     310 


Completed. 


Located. 


Proposed. 


100         DISTANCES    BY    STAGE    ROUTES. 


Second  General  Division,  from  Muscatine  to  Mouth  of  Platle. 


From  Muscatine  to 

Under    Contract 

to  Oskaloosa. 


Surveyed. 


Miles. 

Fredonia,  or  Iowa  River 20 

Columbus  City 22 

Washington 39 

Oskaloosa 95 

Mouth  of  Platte  (21  miles  below  Council 

Bluffs) ,  280 


Third  General  Division,  from  Muscatine  to  Cedar  Rapids. 

From  Museatine  to 

Graded.  Junction  with  1st  General  Division 12 

5  Tipton '. 27 

Located.  }  Cedar  Rapids 63 


DAVENPORT    TO  COUNCIL 

BLUFFS. 

From  Davenport  to  Miles. 

MUSCATINE 30 

IOWA  CITY 33  63 

Marengo 26  89 

Sugar  Grove 46  135 

NEWTON „ 20  155 

Keith's 19  174 

FT.  DEsMoiNES 14  188 

Adel 24  212 

Panther  Creek 5  217 

BearGrove 22  239 

Indian  Grove 11  250 

Nishnabottanny 15  265 

Pleasant  Spring 9  274 

Indiantown 4  278 

Walnut  Creek 5  283 

WestNishnabottany  15  298 

Silver  Creek 13  811 


STAGE   ROUTES   TIIROUGII- 
STATE. 

Keg  Creek 6  317 

COUNCIL  BLUFFS..,.  10  327 

BURLINGTON  TO  COUNCIL 

BLUFFS. 

From  Burlington  to  Miles. 

London 20 

MT.  PLEASANT.......  10  30 

Rome 8  38 

FAIRFIELD 15  53 

Libertyville 7  60 

Agency  City 15  75 

OTTUMWA 4  79 

EDDTVILLE 15  94 

OSKALOOSA 10  104 

PELLA 18  122 

FT.  DES  MOINES 46  168 

See  preceding  ta- 
ble for  intermediate 
distance. 

Council  Bluffs 139  307 


DISTANCES    BY     8TAQE    ROUTES. 


101 


FROM  LYONS  AND  CLINTON 

Miles. 

To  Detroit 20 

Maquoketa 20    40 

To  Maquoketa  direct.  35 

Wyoming 18  63 

Anamosa 18  71 

Marion 17  88 

Cedar  Rapids 6  94 


To  Detroit 20 

Tipton 36     65 

Iowa  City 25     80 


To  Camanche 6 

Princeton 11  17 

Le  Claire 6  23 

Davenport 15  38 


To  Sabula 17 

Belleyue 20    37 

Dubuque 25     62 


DAVENPORT  TO  DUBUQUH. 

From  Davenport  to  Miles. 

Dewitt 21 

Maquoketa '.....  19     40 

Andrew 8     48 

LaMotte 10    58 

Dubuque 16     74 

DUBUQUE  TO  CEDAR  FALLS. 

From  Dubuque  to  Miles. 

Delhi 86 

Independence. .36     72 

Cedar  Falls. 25    97 

9* 


DUBUQUE  TO  IOWA  CITY. 

From  Dubuque  to  Milea. 

Cascade 26 

Monticello 12     38 

Anamosa 13     51 

Fairview 4    55 

Marion 15     70 

Cedar  Rapids 5     75 

Iowa  City 25  100 

CEDAR  RAPIDS    TO  CEDAR 

FALLS. 

From  Cedar  Bapids  to  Miles. 

Vinton 25 

Waterloo 30     65 

Cedar  Falls 7    72 

KEOKUK  TO  IOWA  CITY. 

From  Keokuk  to  Miles. 

Charleston 18 

Primrose 12     30 

Birmingham 24     54 

Fairfield 9     63 

Brighton 12     75 

Washington 15     90 

Iowa  City 35  125 

KEOKUK  TO  KEOSAUQUA. 

From  Keokuk  to  Miles. 

Charleston 18 

Warren 6     24 

Bonaparte 12     36 

Keosauqua 12     48 

BONAPARTE  TO  BIRMINGHAM. 

From  Bonaparte  to  Miles. 

Winchester 12 

Birmingham.  < 8    15 


102 


DISTANCES    BY    RIVER. 


OTTUMWA  TO  CHARITON. 
From  Ottumwa  to  Miles. 

Albin 25 

Chariton 25       60 

OSKALOOSA  TO  COUNCIL 

BLUFFS. 
From  Oskaloosa  to  Miles. 

Knoxville 25 

Indianola 25       50 

Wintersett...  ,     25       75 


Lewis 70    145 

Council  Bluffs 60    205 

FAIRFIELD  TO  KEOSAQUA,-    20 

MUSCATINE  TO  BuELINGTON. 
From  Muscatine  to  Miles. 

Grandview 14 

Wapello 10      24 

Linton 9       33 

Burlington 19      52 


RIVER    DISTANCES. 


MISSISSIPPI  RIVER. 
From  St.  Louis  to 

Alton 

Grafton 

Milan 

Wiota... 


Miles. 

22 

18 

24 

42 

Worthington 52 

Westport 57 

Hamburg 62 

Clarksville 80 

Louisiana 82 

Scott's  Landing 97 

Cincinnati 105 

Saverton 115 

Hannibal 123 

Marion  City 133 

Quincy 143 

La  Grange 155 

Smoot's  Landing 159 

Canton 161 

Tally 163 

Gregory's  Landing 175 

Alexandria 185 

Keokuk 190 

Nashville 198 


Montrose 202 

Nauvoo 204 

Fort  Madison 214 

Pontoosuc 220 

Burlington 235 

Oquawka 250 

Keithsburg 262 

New  Boston 269 

Muscatine  299  Drury...  304 

Salem 309 

Buffalo  and  Andalusia...  821 

Rockingham 329 

R.  Island  and  Davenport  334 

Hampton 346 

Port  Byron  353  Cordova  358 

Camanche  364  N.Albany  367 
Clinton,  Terminus  C.  I. 

&N.  R.  R 375 

Fulton,  Terminus  G.  & 

C.  U.  R.  R 376 

Lyons,  Terminus  I.  C.  A. 

R.  R 377 

Sabula  395  Savannah..  397 

Bellevue  412  Galena...  428 

Dubuque  and  Dunleith..  453 


DISTANCES    BY    RIVER. 


103 


Peru  (Iowa) 461 

Cassville 484 

Guttenburg 498 

Clayton  City 508 

Wyoming 613 

,  Wisconsin  river 517 

McGregor's  Landing 521 

Fort  Crawford 523 

Prairie  du  Chien 524 

Lansing 559 

Winnesheik 579 

Warner's  Landing 589 

Prairie  La  Cross „  617 

Mouth  of  Black  river. ...  629 

Reed's  Landing 637 

Wabashaw 705 

Lake  Pepin 708 

RedWing 736 

Mouth  of  Lake  St.  Croix  786 

Red  Rock 803 

Little  Crow  Village 805 

St.  Paul 809 

Mendotah 819 

St.  Peter 823 

MISSOURI  RIVER. 

From  Alton  to  Miles. 

Mouth  of  Missouri 7 

St.  Charles 34 

Mt.  Auburn 64 

Augusta 69 

South  Point 76 

Washington 85 

Pinckney 94 

Hermann 109 

Portland 119 

St.  Aubert 139 

Bennett's  Landing 149 


Mouth  of  Osage 152 

Jefferson  City 162 

Claysville  169 

Marion 174 

Nashville 187 

Providence 189 

Rocheport 201 

Boonville 211 

Arrow  Rock 226 

Glasgow 241 

Cambridge 249 

Keytesville  Landing 256 

Brunswick 275 

Dewitt 287 

Miami 293 

Hill's  Landing 313 

Waverly 319 

Dover  Landing 331 

Lexington 343 

Wellington 354 

Camden 364 

Napoleon 372 

Sibley 379 

Richfield 394 

Blue  Mills  Landing 404 

Liberty 414 

Wayne  City 420 

Randolph 428 

Kansas 433 

Parkville  448 

Narrows  Landing 459 

Fort  Leavenworth 468 

Weston  475 

Columbus  Landing 504 

St.  Joseph 537 

Savannah 559 

Iowa  Point 585 

Council  Bluffs  ...             ,  789 


104 


STATISTICS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Lot*,  Value  of  Capital  employed 
and  of  all  other  properly  (exeept 


of  To 
,  Cat 


f  Ho 
4. 


M          |2 


H 
<! 

H 

-         ^ 
^ 

ss 


er  and  Val 
s  in  the  year 


b 


turing.  N 
n  the  Count 


also  in  M 
Hogs,  ass 


Merchandi 
les,  Sheep, 


;  '••    ~    -  co  O  5  co  «s  O(N  -r  I- 


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—  i^t-ws-icrji^CN  —  5 


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tt\ 


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STATISTICS. 


105 


""  ~"  35S*«8S3'<»       xc*o  ^ '  ^ 


.  ..  ,,.,. 


"~;D^ot-'r2;^i-T-p-ii'^ic3^;b  r^-r.^'M  —  ^ 
':NO*  ^          — 


g  v)      ci  -j  r   ^ 
"    "         "      - 


@ 


oi'O  T  ^'  01'—  '  •-'  -r  i- 
«  olflS  2          04^  — 


of—'co'o  — 'fi»  »  o'rf  os"     of     ~'  cc"  ef i-T          — "«"— ^«o"         cf  to"     orT     of 

^^         "  ~«—     -•     c* -^  ci     •*         c4  eo     "• 


— 

— •"•V^'l^vJ 


S 

i" 
Is 


^  ^  — SKStoS60       5r?  —  S*Ort       R       £W?^,2       SS 


t 

106  FINANCES    OF    IOWA. 

The  following  items  are  omitted  in  the  preceding  Table, 
but  included  in  the  "  Total  Value"  column  :  — 

No.  of  Mules  in  the  State  .......................................  2,232 

Value       "            "      "    .......................................  116,955 

No.  of  Sheep         "      "    .......................................  169,542 

Value      "             "      "    .......................................  204,061 

No.  of  Hogs          "      "    .......................................  611,923 

Vafce     "              "      "    .......................................  873,103 


increase  in  value  of  property  in  any  county  for  the 
past  year,  can  be  ascertained  by  comparing  the  items  of  the 
eouHties,  in  the  two  total  columns,  for  1853  and  1854. 

Financial. 
State  Revenue  on  hand,  Nov.  1,  1852  .................         $8X602  88 

Receipt*  from  above  date  up  to  Oct.  31,  1854  ......       114,946  87 

Proceeds  from  Sale  of  Saline  Lands  up  to  Oct.  31, 

1854  ........................................................         10,515  70 


Total  amount  of  Receipts $134,065  45 

During  the  same  period  there  has  been  paid  out  on 
Auditor's  Warrants 118,542  90 


Leaving  a  balance  in  Treasury  of  ......................  $15,522  55 

An  estimate  of  tlie  necessary  expenditures  for  the  two  years, 

commencing  Nov.   1st,  1854,  and  ending  October  31, 
1856:— 

Agricultural  Societies  ....................................  $5,000,00 

Governor,     Superintendent,    Secretary,    Auditor, 
Attorney-General,    Treasurer,   and   Librarian's 

salaries  .....................................................  9^00  00 

Blind  Asylum  ................................................  6,000  00 

Deaf  and  Dumb  ................................  4000  00 


Carried  over.  ..........................................        $24,300  00 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 


107 


Brought  over .» 

Funded  debt — bonds  now  due 

General  contingent  fund 

Interest  account 

Judges'  salary 

Miscellaneous  disbursements 

Penitentiary 

Supreme  Court  expenses 

State  printing ,. 

State  officers'  contingent  fund 

State  House 

Stationery 

Legislative  expenses  and  other  special  appropria- 
tions   


$24,300  00 

16,442  00 

2,000  00 

13,000  00 

24,000  00 

6,000  00 

6,000  00 

2,000  00 

7,000  00 

3,000  00 

6,000  00 

5,000  00 

25,000  00 
$139,742  00 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   COUNTIES. 


To  describe  minutely  and  separately  counties  that  pos- 
sess so  nearly  the  same  qualities  as  do  those  situated  adja- 
cent to  each  other,  in  any  portion  of  this  State,  would  be  a 
useless  task ;  hence,  where  a  full  description  is  given  of  the 
soil,  productions,  climate,  &c.,  of  one  county,  and  those  ad- 
joining are  very  similar,  the  description  is  not  repeated. 
For  instance,  the  general  description  of  Winneshiek 
County,  answers  for  every  adjoining  county  in  the  north- 
east, Henry  or  Jefferson  for  the  south-east,  Pottawattamie 
for  the  west,  Scott  and  Jackson  for  the  east,  and  so  on. 


108  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

ADAMS  COUNTY 

At  the  present  time  has  a  population  of  1100.  Last 
census,  342.  Quincy,  the  county-seat,  contains  150  in- 
habitants, and  one  district  school  under  common  school  law. 
An  Academy,  or  College,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  is  in  progress  of  construction  : 
they  have  as  yet  but  one  teacher  in  the  primary  depart- 
'ment.  There  are  no  manufactories  in  operation.  A  steam 
saw  and  grist-mill,  and  carding  and  fulling-mills  are  very 
much  needed.  Tailors,  blacksmiths,  saddlers,  coopers, 
wagon  makers,  etc.,  are  much  wanted. 

The  price  of  land  adjoining  the  town  is  from  $8  to  $20 
per  acre.  There  is  no  other  town  in  the  .county. 

The  IcarJan  Society  (a  branch  of  the  Nauvoo  Society, 
Illinois,)  is  located  6  miles  south-east  of  Quincy;  they 
number  some  60  inhabitants,  live  on  the  community  plan 
— all  eating  at  one  table — the  different  families  having 
separate  houses  to  live  in.  Their  village  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  the  East  Nodaway,  occupying  a  beautiful 
timbered  knoll,  as  the  State  road  from  Chariton  to  Glen- 
wood  leaves  the  bottom  for  the  high  prairie.  Their  houses 
are  built  very  compact,  on  two  principal  streets. 

Nineteen  hundred  acres  of  heavily-timbered  school  land, 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  will  be  in  market  during 
1856.  Good  prairie  land  can  be  had  in  this  county,  at  $1.25 
per  acre,  and  timber  land  can  be  bought  at  from  $5  to  $15 
per  acre,  as  to  quality  and  location.  This  county  is  out  of 
debt,  and  it  has  a  neat  new  court-house.  Total  levy  of 
taxes  for  1855,  including  State,  County,  School,  Road,  and 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  109 

a  special  Bridge  Tax,  amounted  to  only  8J  mills  on  the 
dollar.  This  year  they  will  be  much  less.  Veins  of  stona 
coal,  2J  to  3£  feet  thick,  have  been  found  along  the  Middle 
Nodaway. 

No  soil  in  the  world  will  stand  as  much  dry  weather  afs 
this,  and  there  is  none  that  is  less  injured  by  continued 
wet  weather.  Owing  to  these  peculiarities  of  the  climate, 
no  section  of  country  can  compare  with  this  for  stock 
raising.  On  the  north  is 

ADAIR  COUNTY, 

Of  which  Somerset  is  the  county-seat,  and  Adair,  Al- 
cora's,  Holaday's,  Marvin's,  and  Wahtahwah  post-offices. 
Directly  northwest  lies 

AUDUBON  COUNTY, 

Organized  in  April,  1855,  Dayton  being  located  as  the 
seat  of  justice.  There  are  post-offices  and  settlements 
known  as  Ballard's,  Bear  Grove,  Hamlin  Grove,  and  Big 
Grove. 

These  counties  are  well  watered  and  have  a  goed  pro- 
portion of  prairie  and  timber.  Audubon,  though  com- 
prising only  12  township?,  has  upwards  of  7000  acres  of 
timber  land. 

APPANOOSE  COUNTY 

Is  well  watered  by  the  Chariton  and  its  tributaries,  fur- 
nishing power  for  numerous  mill  sites.     Timber,  about  an 
average;    soil,   excellent;    climate,   mild    and    pleasant. 
Centreville  is  the  county-seat. 
10 


110  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

ALAMAKEE  COUNTY 

Is  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Mississippi  Biver.  It  is 
the  extreme  N.  E.  county  of  the  State.  The  first  settle- 
ments made  by  whites  were  in  1850.  The  present  popu- 
lation of  the  county  numbers  some  8000. 

The  principal  towns  are  Lansing,  1000 ;  "Wawkon,  350 ; 
and  Paint  Rock,  100  inhabitants.  Church  edifices  and 
school-houses  are  being  erected  throughout  the  county  with 
great  liberality. 

Alamakee  may  well  pride  herself  on  the  increase  in  popu- 
lation and  importance  she  made  last  year. 

In  March,  1855,  there  were  but  six  saw-mills  and  two 
grist-mills  in  the  county.  Now  (Jan.,  1856),  there  are 
15  water,  and  3  steam  saw-mills,  and  11  grist-mills,  all 
successfully  and  profitably  operating.  Manufactories  of 
farming  utensils,  cooperage,  &c.,  are  much  needed.  The 
facilities  for  getting  pine  lumber  are  good,  and  oak,  lynn, 
and  black  walnut  are  plenty. 

BENTON  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  by  S.  M.  Lockhart,  in  the  spring  of 
1841 ;  soon  after,  other  families  followed.  In  August, 
1851,  C.  C.  Charles's  was  the  only  family  that  resided  in 
what  is  now  Vinton.  The  reports  of  the  assessors  in  regard 
to  this,  as  well  as  many  other  sections,  are  very  incorrect. 
In  1855  they  gave  Vinton  307 — now  there  are  600.  The 
county  was  censused  at  2623,  but  at  that  time  there  were 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  Ill 

r* 

at  least  3000,  and  the  population  of  Benton  is  now  fully 
4000. 

The  0.  S.  and  N.  S.  Presbyterians  have  established 
societies,  and  are  preparing  to  erect  churches. 

One  sch<i>l,  well  conducted,  with  90  scholars. 

One  steam  saw-mill,  cutting  4000  feet  of  lumber  every 
24  hours.  A  flouring-mill  is  very  much  needed. 

This  county  is  well  watered,  with  a  due  proportion  of 
prairie  and  timber. 

The  settlements  of  the  county  are  at  Burk's  P.  0.,  Ma- 
rysville,  Beulah  P.  0.,  Taylor's  Creek  P.  0.,  and  Prairie 
Creek  P.  0~  Benton  City,  300  inhabitants. 


BLACK  HAWK  COUNTY. 

This  county,  bearing  the  name  of  the  illustrious  chief, 
possesses  some  of  the  finest  soil  and  timber  land  in 
Northern  Iowa.  It  is  in  the  same  range  with,  and  the 
third  county  from,  Dubuque.  The  Cedar  fork  of  the  Iowa 
river  passes  diagonally  in  a  south-easterly  direction  across 
the  county.  Cedar  Falls  is  a  town  of  considerable  import- 
ance, and  will  become  a  large  manufacturing  place.  At 
this,  as  well  as  several  other  points  in  the  county,  the  best 
of  water-power  and  eligible  sites  for  mills  and  manufac- 
turing establishments  hold  out  inducements  to  capitalists. 
In  August,  1855,  the  county-seat  was  removed  to  Waterloo, 
which  is  improving  rapidly,  and  is  permanently  and  advan- 
tageously located. 


112  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

BOONE  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  at  Pea's  Point,  (now  called  Flat-rock,) 
in  May,  1846,  by  John  Pea,  a  pioneer  of  the  old  stock,  a 
Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  who  has  lived  in  every  State  that 
intervenes  between  his  native  State  and  Iowa,  when  they 
were  wild  and  primitive  forests.  He  was  also  an  early 
settler  in  Missouri.  This  old  man  still  resides  in  Boone 
County,  and  with  the  gray  hairs  of  some  seventy  years 
upon  his  head,  such  are  his  erect  form  and  comparatively 
robust  constitution,  that  Time  seems  to  have  broken  its 
billows  over  his  manly  form,  only  as  the  ocean  reads  its 
fury  over  the  immovable  rock  of  its  shores.  The  old  gen- 
tleman is  still  full  of  adventure  and  enterprise,  and  may 
ere  long  be  one  of  the  freemen  of  Nebraska. 

•"  Montgomery  McCall  settled  near  where  Boonsboro  now 
stands,  in  the  month  of  February,  1847,  and  for  about  a 
year  his  family  lived  nearer  the  source  of  the  Des  Moines 
river  than  any  other  white  family.  During  the  winter  of 
1846  and  1847,  seven  hundred  Pottawattamie  Indians  were 
encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  these  families. 

The  town  of  Boonsboro  was  located  on  the  7th  day  of 
July,  1851,  as  the  county-seat,  by  commissioners  appointed 
for  that  purpose  by  the  State  Legislature,  and  is  likely  evei 
to  remain  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  county. 

The  present  population  of  Boonsboro  is  about  450.  The 
population  of  the  county  over  2000.  Immigration  is  rapidly 
pouring  in. 

The  following  named  towns,  recently  laid  out,  have  the 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  113 

population  annexed.  Sweet  Point,  250;  Rapids,  100  j 
Ridgeport,  75 ;  Milford,  75 ;  Carsonsport,  50 ;  Quincy,  25. 

Since  July,  1855,  steam  saw-mills  have  been  erected  at 
Boonsboro,  Milford,  and  Sweet  Point — all  doing  well,  and 
still  there  is  room. 

In  Boone,  as  in  every  other  county  in  the  State,  me- 
chanics of  every  kind  are  in  demand,  wages  high  and  em- 
ployment constant. 

BREMER  COUNTY 

Was  settled  first  in  1848-9.  In  the  spring  of  1853,  the 
town  of  Janesville,  six  miles  below  Waverly,  was  laid  out 
by  John  T.  Barrie.  This  town  is  situated  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Cedar  River,  some  three  miles  above  the  junction  of 
the  Cedar  and  the  Shellrock.  The  place  contains  some  150 
inhabitants,  with  two  stores,  saw-mill,  &c.  A  flouring-mill 
is  much  needed,  and  the  water-power  along  these  streams 
is  sufficient  to  furnish  sites  for  all  the  machinery  needed. 
A  great  abundance  of  building-stone  and  the  best  of  timber 
admirably  fit  this  for  a  manufacturing  place. 

But  one  school  in  Janesville  —  a  fine  stone  school-house 
is  now  being  erected,  24  by  36  feet. 

The  M.  E.  Church  are  making  arrangements  to  build  a 
house  of  worship  this  season.  There  are  one  stationary 
and  two  local  itinerant  ministers;  the  churches  are  well 
attended  and  prosperous. 

In  June,  1853,  the  county-seat  was  located  six  miles 
above  Janesville,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Cedar  River,  and 

the  town  of  Waverly  established,  which  has  now  a  popula- 
10* 


114  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

tion  of  some  450.  Population  increased  350  in  eighteen 
months.  The  population  of  Bremer  County  is  about 
3000.  Public  schools  in  every  settlement  through  the 
county.  A  body  of  timber,  known  as  "  the  lower  big 
woods/'  embracing  some  40  sections,  lies  in  the  vicinity  of 
these  towns,  which,  in  a  prairie  country,  is  a  consideration 
of  no  minor  importance.  This  is  a  healthy  and  productive 
region  of  country,  possessing  beautiful  scenery,  and  excel- 
lent agricultural  and  manufacturing  advantages. 

BUCHANAN  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  by  Ezra  Gr.  Allen  and  "Wm.  Bennett, 
in  1842. 

Independence,  the  county-seat,  was  located  and  settled 
in  the  winter  of  1846,  by  Rufus  Blelark. 

Present  population  of  the  town,  700  —  of  the  county, 
3500. 

No  church  buildings  erected.  One  is  being  erected  at 
Independence,  and  one  at  Quasqueton. 

No  newspaper  in  the  county.  Two  flouring-mills  (two 
burrs  each),  and  two  saw-mills,  are  in  operation  in  the 
county. 

Woollen  manufactories  most  needed,  there  being  none 
within  40  miles. 

Oak  timber  plenty  along  the  streams,  and  deep-soiled 
rolling  prairies  between  the  water-courses.  The  streams 
are  rather  rapid,  with  gravelly  or  rocky  beds.  Limestone 
abundant.  Soil  generally  rich  sandy  loam. 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  115 

CARROLL  COUNTY 

Was  to  have  been  organized  in  March  of  the  present 
year.  The  present  population  of  the  county  is  but  about 
250.  Water-power,  timber  lands,  and  the  best  of  prairie 
soil,  with  inexhaustible  beds  of  building-stone,  coal,  and 
iron,  are  some  of  the  inducements  Carroll  County  holds  out 
to  new-comers.  As  yet  no  towns  are  laid  out,  not  even  the 
county-seat,  and  the  active,  intelligent,  and  ambitious  im- 
migrant will  find  inducements  for  settling  in  recently- 
organized  counties  which  do  not  exist  in  older  ones. 
Though  water-power  is  afforded  by  several  streams  in 
various  parts  of  the  county,  there  is  not  a  mill  or  manu- 
factory yet  erected,  and  the  nearest  mill  is  at  Panora, 
Guthrie  County,  27  miles  distant.  What  an  opening  for 
a  saw  and  grist-mill !  Wheat,  corn,  and  rye  in  abundance. 
Of  churches  and  schools  in  Carroll  we  could  obtain  no  in- 
formation, and  presume  that  they,  like  the  county,  are 
unorganized. 

CASS  COUNTY 

Joins  Pottawattamie  on  the  east,  and,  like  those  adjoin- 
ing on  the  west  and  south,  was  settled  by  Mormons  in 
1846-7,  who,  however,  left  in  the  spring  of  1852,  when 
W.  L.  Townsend,  P.  Hedges,  J.  Bradshaw,  C.  E.  Wood- 
ward, George  Keeves,  and  J.  W.  Benedict  took  their  piaces, 
and  became  permanent  settlers. 

Lewis,  the  county-seat,  was  first  settled  by  R.  C.  Lam- 
bert. The  population  of  the  county  is  now  a  little  rising 


116  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

of  700.  A  fine  court-house  is  to  be  built  in  Lewis  this 
season. 

There  is  but  one  church  in  Lewis  —  occupied  by  the 
Congregationalists  and  Methodists. 

No  newspaper,  but  one  needed. 

Two  good  common  schools  in  Lewis,  in  very  good  con- 
dition. 

Two  saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill.  A  woollen  factory 
would  do  well,  also  mechanics  of  every  kind — blacksmiths, 
plough  and  wagon  makers,  cabinet-makers,  and  day  la- 
borers. 

Cass  County  is  unsurpassed,  in  point  of  fertility  and 
water,  in  the  State, —  is  well  supplied  with  timber  and 
stone.  The  soil  gently  undulating  and  dry.  There  is  now 
but  little  unentered  land  in  this  county. 

CEDAR  COUNTY 

"Was  organized  and  settled  in  1836.  The  county-seat, 
Tipton,  was  laid  out  in  1839.  Present  population  of  the 
town  800,  and  of  the  county  about  8700. 

The  towns  and  settlements  in  the  county  are  Tipton, 
Woodridge,  Cedar  Bluffs,  Pioneer  P.  0.,  Cedar  P.  0., 
Massillon  P.  0.,  Yankee  Grove  P.  0.,  Red  Oak  P.  0., 
Gower's  P.  0.,  Inland  P.  0.,  Springdale  P.  0.,  Padee  P. 
0.,  Lacton  P.  0.,  and  Rochester. 

Three  churches  in  Tipton — Presbyterian,  Congregational, 
and  Methodist, — society  very  good.  Churches  of  different 
denominations  throughout  the  county,  but  the  precise  num- 
ber of  church  edifices  or  members  not  ascertained. 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  117 

A  railroad  line  from  the  Muscatine  junction  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  Railroad  to  Tipton,  is  projected;  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  Chicago,  Iowa  and  Nebraska  Rail- 
road, (passing  west  from  Clinton  on  the  Mississippi,)  will 
be  completed  as  far  as  Tipton,  during  the  present  year. 
One  of  these  roads  will  be  built,  and  probably  both,  which 
will  give  Tipton  an  impetus  in  importance  and  wealth, 
known  only  to  similarly  favoured  cities  in  the  West. 

The  county  is  made  up  of  very  excellent  soil,  adapted  to 
all  kinds  of  farming  purposes,  and  well  watered  generally. 
Timber  is  less  abundant  in  Cedar  than  in  many  other  coun- 
ties. Yet  taken  as  a  whole,  Cedar  holds  out  strong  induce- 
ments to  the  farmer  and  mechanic,  to  locate  within  her 
borders. 

CHICKASAW  COUNTY. 

Four  years  ago  Chickasaw  County  had  not  a  single 
white  resident — now  the  population  of  the  county  exceeds 
1500.  In  1853,  Rufus  Clark,  a  famous  trapper  and 
hunter,  a  native  of  Ohio,  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  pre- 
sent Bradford  P.  0.,  which  is  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
junction  of  the  Little  and  the  Big  Cedar  Rivers.  The 
population  of  Bradford  now  is  300.  One  district  school 
with  an  average  attendance  of  70  scholars.  Preaching 
every  Sabbath — principally  Methodist.  No  churches  orga- 
nized yet. 

Two  saw-mills  in  full  operation,  and  a  steam  saw-mill 
being  erected. 

Capitalists  and  traders  would  find  this  a  wide  and  inviting 
field  for  their  operations. 


118  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

Flouring-mill  much  needed.  Flour  is  now  brought  45 
miles,  and  grain  taken  the  same  distance  to  mill.  "With 
any  amount  of  water-power  all  over  the  county,  and  the 
best  of  grain  soil,  we  hope  some  capitalist  will  consult  his 
interest  by  contributing  to  the  wants  of  the  people  of 
Chickasaw. 

CLARKE  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  in  1849.  In  1850,  according  to  the 
census,  it  contained  79  inhabitants.  The  population  of  the 
county  now,  (February,  1856),  numbers  upwards  of  3000. 
The  county-seat,  Osceola,  was  settled  in  1852 — present  po- 
pulation, 200. 

There  are  no  church  buildings  erected  in  the  county  as 
yet ;  but  the  Methodists,  Campbellites,  and  United  Breth- 
ren have  each  an  organization. 

CLAYTON  COUNTY 

Is  the  most  northern  river  county  in  the  State,  except 
Alamakee.  It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Mississippi, 
on  the  west  by  Fayette,  on  the  south  by  Delaware  and  Du- 
buque.  The  principal  water-courses  in  the  county  are  Yel- 
low and  Turkey  Rivers,  Volga  and  Buck  Creeks,  and  Bloody 
Run.  Turkey  River  is  among  the  most  beautiful  and  pla- 
cid streams  in  the  State,  and  is  celebrated  for  its  numerous 
geological  specimens,  and  the  picturesque  scenery  of  its 
banks  and  dells.  Turkey  River  affords  most  excellent  water- 
power  for  mills  and  machinery,  and  is  navigable  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  as  far  up  as  the  forks.  The  soil  is  about 
the  same  as  in  those  counties  adjoining,  already  described. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  119 

CLINTON,  COUNTY. 

WAS  first  settled  in  1836,  by  Mr.  Bourne,  who  located 
upon  Sec.  1,  T.  80,  K.  4,  East.  The  county  was  surveyed 
in  1837,  by  the  Messrs.  Burtz.  The  Surveyor  General's 
office  was  then  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In  1840,  the  county 
was  organized  by  Sheriff1  Bourne.  In  1841,  R.  R.  Bed- 
ford and  others  formed  a  little  settlement  at  De  Witt,  and 
during  the  same  year  Messrs.  Wheeler  and  Evans  erected 
a  log  court-house.  In  stepping  from  the  past  to  the  pre- 
sent, we  quote  the  language  of  one  of  the  "  oldest  inhabi- 
tants." He  says  :  "Clinton  County  was  originally  settled 
by  the  poorest  class  of  people  on  God's  earth ;  and  it  is 
with  great  pleasure  that  I  have  witnessed  their  progress, 
slow  but  sure,  and  now  find  the  most  of  them  very  com- 
fortably situated." 

Although  this  county  is,  in  many  respects,  more  favour- 
ably situated  than  any  other  in  the  State,  but  little  has 
been  known  of  it  at  home  or  abroad,  until  quite  recently, 
owing  to  the  fact  that,  the  great  tide  of  travel  passed  over 
the  railroads  to  the  Mississippi,  entering  the  State  at  Du- 
buque,  Davenport,  or  Burlington,  and  striking  thence  di- 
rectly to  Iowa  City,  or  Ft.  Des  Moines,  virtually  running 
around  Clinton  and  Jackson  counties.  Since  the  comple- 
tion of  the  railroad  to  Fulton,  a  good  proportion  of  the  east- 
ern travel  has  passed  over  this  road,  entering  the  State  at 
Clinton  or  Lyons — thus  reaching  the  Mississippi  with  fifty 
miles  less  travel  than  by  any  other  railroad  route.  Con- 
vinced of  the  rapid  advance  and  increase  in  population  and 
property  that  awaits  this  point,  capitalists,  mechanics,  and 


120  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

business  men,  are  daily  investing  in  lands  and  town  lots, 
and  entering  into  business,  which  will  largely  contribute 
to  the  credit  of  the  County  and  the  State.  As  will  be  seen 
by  reference  to  the  map,  or  to  the  list  of  post-offices,  there 
are  comparatively  few  towns  in  Clinton  County,  and  al- 
though rapidly  advancing,  property  of  all  kinds  is  much 
cheaper  than  at  any  other  railroad  terminus  on  the  River. 
The  "  Lyons  Iowa  Central  Railroad  Company,"  which 
some  years  since  projected  a  road  west  from  Lyons,  through 
Tipton  and  Iowa  City,  after  making  a  fair  beginning  upon 
the  work,  in  consequence  of  the  financial  crisis,  failed. 
Their  stock,  bonds,  &c.,  were  purchased  at  sheriff's  sale, 
by  a  number  of  gentlemen  of  reliability  and  reputation, 
who  have  organized  a  new  company  under  the  name  of  the 
"  Chicago,  Iowa  and  Nebraska  Railroad  Company."  For 
numerous  and  satisfactory  reasons,  they  fixed  upon  a  point 
two  miles  below  Lyons,  as  the  eastern  terminus  of  their  road. 
The  "  Iowa  Laud  Company,"  owning  the  lands  there,  and 
being  also  interested  in  the  new  organization,  laid  out  a 
town,  calling  it  CLINTON.  Their  town  plot,  embracing  1000 
lots,  is  laid  out  upon  the  most  liberal  scale.  Whole  blocks 
have  been  left  for  parks ;  four  lots  given  to  each  of  the  seve- 
ral churches ;  also  liberal  provision  for  seminaries,  libraries, 
and  public  schools.  The  original  proprietors  of  the  town 
grade  the  streets,  and  plant  shade  trees  along  the  side-walks, 
at  their  own  expense.  The  wide  streets  and  avenues,  the 
liberal  policy  of  the  proprietors,  the  prospect  of  the  railroad, 
must,  together  with  the  unsurpassed  beauty  and  admirable 
adaptation  of  the  location  for  a  large  town;  gave  it  a  popu- 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  121 

larity  which  few  towns  of  its  age  enjoy.  In  seven  months 
from  the  first  sale,  nearly  all  the  lots  in  the  plot  were  sold 
to  individuals  who  must  improve  them ;  such  being  the  con- 
ditions of  sale. 

To  the  stranger  abroad,  the  proximity  of  two  growing 
towns,  situated  as  Lyons  and  Clinton,  within  two  miles  of 
each  other,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi — the  one  oppo- 
site, the  other  nearly  opposite  to  the  terminus  of  a  railroad 
running  out  of  Chicago,  the  question  would  arise  "which 
will  be  the  city  ?"  In  the  present  embryotic  state  of  the 
two  places,  it  is  natural  that  much  petty  jealousy  and  some 
rivalry  must  exist  between  the  inhabitants  and  those  parti- 
cularly interested  in  the  places;  but  we  believe  that  the 
sentiment  contained  in  the  following  toast,  read  at  the  cele- 
bration of  the  founding  of  the  town  of  Clinton,  (Aug.  1, 
1855),  and  the  commencement  of  the  new  railroad,  exists 
among  the  earnest  workers  for  the  prosperity  of  this  im- 
portant point,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi : 

"Our  sister  city,  Lyons. — Her  interests  and  ours  are  the 
same.  In  building  up  the  waste  places  between  us,  we 
propose  to  meet  her  half  way." 

The  population  of  this  County  in  1840,  was  821 ;  in  1850, 
2822;  in  1854,  7000;  and  in  1856,  11,000.  The  popu- 
lation of  Lyons  in  1850,  was  453.  Now,  the  population 
of  this  point,  (Lyons  and  Clinton),  is  2700  ! 

Since  the  completion  of  the  Railroad  from  Chicago,  the 
produce  from  a  large  section  of  country  finds  here  a  ready 
market,  which  adds  much  to  the  business  of  the  city.  Se- 
veral heavy  produce  houses  will  be  opened  in  each  of  these 
11 


122  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

places,  and  mills  are  being  erected  in  each.  In  Lyons, 
there  are  already  in  operation,  3  steam  mills,  and  1  foun- 
dery,  and  another  nearly  completed.  A  new  hotel  is  to  be 
built  at  Lyons,  this  season,  and  another  at  Clinton,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  one  just  completed.  This  house  is  three  sto- 
ries high,  large  and  commodious,  capable  of  accommodating 
500  persons.  Several  three,  four,  and  five  story  brick  and 
stone  blocks  are  under  contract  in  Clinton,  and  as  many 
more  projected  in  Lyons.  It  is  thought  the  increase  in 
buildings  and  inhabitants,  at  this  point,  in  1856,  will  ex- 
ceed that  of  any  other  in  the  State. 

At  both  Lyons  and  Clinton,  recently,  the  Episcopalian 
and  Presbyterian  denominations  have  each  organized  a 
church,  and  in  Lyons  settled  pastors.  The  Congregational 
and  Methodist  organizations  at  the  former  place,  have  been 
some  years  in  existence.  A  fine  edifice  is  being  erected  by 
the  Episcopalian  Society,  at  Clinton,  and  another  for  a  Free 
Church  and  school  building.  Ex-Governor  Baker,  of  New 
Hampshire,  has  identified  himself  with  the  place,  and,  with 
others,  is  making  arrangements  for  founding  (and  building) 
a  university,  public  library,  &c.  The  Congregational 
Church,  at  Lyons,  is  just  being  completed,  and  occupies  one 
of  the  most  commanding  and  beautiful  sites  in  this  section. 
Other  church  buildings  are  needed,  and  will  probably  be 
erected  this  year. 

This  point,  which  has  so  recently  been  brought  into  no- 
tice by  the  completion  of  the  Chicago  and  Fulton  Railroad, 
has  been  richly  endowed  by  nature  with  some  of  the  most 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  123 

commanding  views  found  on  the  Upper  Mississippi.  With 
the  splendid  bluff  scenery,  and  gently  sloping  plains  that 
descend  to  the  river's  brink,  thickly  wooded  with  a  fine 
growth  of  scrub  oak,  affording  beautiful  and  refreshing 
shade,  may  be  found  one  of  the  finest  locations  in  the 
world  for  a  large  city ;  and  we  predict  that  1860  will  find 
a  rapidly  growing  city  of  20,000  inhabitants — a  city  stretch- 
ing along  the  Father  of  Waters  for  three  miles,  whose  mas- 
sive warehouses  gather  the  wealth  of  a  rich  inland  tract, 
while  her  magnificent  bluffs  are  crowned  by  the  tasteful 
cottage  and  the  splendid  mansion. 

Camanche,  eight  miles  below  Lyons,  is  improving  ra- 
pidly, also,  and  bids  fair  to  become  a  town  of  importance. 
During  the  past  year,  several  new  and  substantial  brick 
buildings  have  been  erected,  and  extensive  preparations  are 
making  for  building  this  season.  Population  of  Camanche, 
1000. 

De  Witt  is  the  county-seat,  and  the  largest  interior  town 
in  the  County.  Being  near  the  centre  of  a  rapidly  im- 
proving, a  fast  populating,  a  most  fertile  and  prosperous 
country,  De  Witt  holds  out  great  inducements  to  those  who 
want  town  property,  or  farms,  near  the  first  depot  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  on  the  Iowa  City  Railroad. 

Of  newspapers,  there  are  a  Democratic  and  an  Indepen- 
dent paper  at  Lyons,  an  Independent  one  at  De  Witt,  and 
one  about  being  established  at  Clinton — making  4  in  the 
county. 

Clinton  consists  of  beautiful,  rich,  rolling  prairie,  inter- 


124  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

spersed  with  groves  of  timber.  "  Second-hand  lands  can 
be  bought  on  better  terms  in  Clinton  than  any  county  in 
the  State,  according  to  their  true  value." 

Clinton  contains  five  churches  —  Episcopal,  Methodist, 
Congregational,  Roman  Catholic,  and  one  union  of  the 
Baptists  and  Disciples. 

Good  public  and  select  schools  in  every  town  of  the 
county,  and  in  good  condition. 

[NOTE. — In  preparing  our  edition  for  1855,  sickness 
prevented  us  visiting,  and  correctly  representing  this 
county — hence  we  devote  to  it  more  space  than  we  should 
have  done,  but  not  more  than  it  deserves.  Those  wanting 
information  not  contained  in  this  volume,  either  of  this  or 
any  other  portion  of  the  State,  will  apply  in  person,  or  by 
letter  addressed  to  the  author,  care  of  Parker,  Dole  &  Co., 
Bankers  and  Land  Agents,  Clinton,  Iowa.  See  card  at  the 
close  of  this  volume.] 

CALHOUN  COUNTY. 

This  County  has  about  six  excellent  townships  of  land, 
most  of  it  in  the  south-west  corner ;  about  eight  middling, 
and  the  balance  quite  swampy,  particularly  around  the 
Twin  Lakes.  The  Coon  River  passes  through  the  south- 
west corner.  Some  fine  groves  of  timber  on  its  borders, 
one  grove  of  about  sixty  acres  near  Twin  Lakes,  contains 
all  the  timber  in  the  county.  The  county  was  organized 
at  the  August  election.  The  county-seat,  just  located,  is 
called  Brooklin. 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  125 

DALLAS  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  by  Samuel  Miller  and  family,  in  1846. 
The  population  of  the  county,  according  to  the  last  census, 
was  2565;  its  present  population  is  3100.  Adel,  the 
county-seat,  is  beautifully  located  on  the  west  side  of  North 
Raccoon  River. 

Wiscotta  is  beautifully  situated  at  the  junction  of  South 
and  Middle  Coon  Rivers,  35  miles  due  west  from  Fort  Des 
Moines. 

Five  public  schools  in  the  county,  all  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  No  private  schools. 

Dallas  has  five  water,  and  one  steam,  saw-mills.  Grist- 
mills and  manufactories  greatly  needed.  The  many  fine 
streams  that  afford  water-power  in  this  county,  and  the  fer- 
tile soil,  producing  abundant  crops,  call  loudly  to  the  capi- 
talists and  farmers,  mechanics,  and  business  men  of  every 
class,  to  examine  her  claims  and  advantages.  The  Rail- 
road west  from  Fort  Des  Moines  is  projected  to  run  through 
this  county. 

The  country  lies  high,  rolling,  and  healthy,  but  is  com- 
paratively sparsely  settled,  as  the  number  of  inhabitants  in- 
dicates. 

DAVIS  COUNTY 

Is  the  second  county  from  the  Mississippi,  on  the  Mis- 
souri State  line,  and  is  settled  to  a  great  extent  by  immi- 
grants from  Missouri  and  Illinois.     The  principal  streams 
11* 


126  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

watering  the  county  are  the  north  and  south  branches  of 
the  Waukindau,  and  the  Fox  River,  which,  with  several 
smaller  streams,  have  their  rise  in  the  county,  passing 
through  Missouri  to  the  Mississippi.  The  Des  Moines 
River  runs  diagonally  across  the  north-east  corner  of  the 
county,  several  of  whose  tributaries  traverse  the  county. 
The  principal  towns  in  Davis  County  are  Bloomfield.(the 
county-seat,)  Troy,  Drakesville,  Nottingham,  and  Mount 
Calvary,  and  small  settlements,  the  post-offices  of  which  are 
named  Oak  Spring,  Soap  Creek,  Salt  Creek,  Pleasant  View, 
Taylor,  Troy,  Dover,  Pulaski,  Stringtown,  Monterey,  Sa- 
vannah, Roscoe,  and  Del  Norte. 

For  a  full  description  of  the  soil  see  Monroe — the  soil 
in  the  two  counties  being  similar. 


DES  MOINES  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  in  1832,  by  David  Tothers,  who  set- 
tled three  miles  south-west  of  what  is  now  Burlington. 
The  next  settlement  was  made  by  S.  S.  White  and  Amzi 
Doolittle,  who  were  the  proprietors  of  the  original  town. 
Additions  were  laid  out  in  the  order  in  which  they  are 
named :  in  1836,  by  David  Rorer,  Amos  Ladd,  Enoch 
Wade,  Isaac  Leffler,  G.  W.  Kelley,  and  others  since. 
Population  10,500. 

There  are  eleven  houses  of  worship,  viz. :  two  Roman 
Catholic,  one  Episcopal,  two  Methodist  Episcopal,  one 
German  Methodist,  one  German  Lutheran,  one  Congrega- 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  127 

tional,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Presbyterian.  There  are  also 
three  congregations  who  intend  erecting  houses  of  worship 
soon,  viz. :  Second  Presbyterian,  Cumberland  Presbyterian, 
and  Christian. 

"  Iowa  State  Gazette,"  weekly  and  tri-weekly ;  "  Hawk- 
eye,"  same ;  and  the  "  Telegraph,"  daily  and  weekly,  are 
published  in  this  county. 

Two  large  public  school-houses,  costing  over  $4000  each, 
in  which  eight  schools  are  taught.  There  are  also  quite  a 
number  of  private  schools,  all  in  a  flourishing  condition ; 
and  the  Baptist  University,  of  which  an  account  is  published 
on  another  page.  (See  Chapter  on  Education.') 

They  have  two  machine  and  engine  manufactories,  two 
foundries,  one  planing  mill,  two  steam  flouring-mills,  four 
sash,  door  and  blind  factories,  three  steam  saw-mills,  one 
shingle  factory,  one  steam  match  factory,  two  furniture  ma- 
nufactories; two  coach,  five  wagon,  two  plough,  one  brush, 
one  candle,  and  one  starch  factory;  two  large  pork  packing 
establishments,  three  banking  houses,  six  hotels,  three 
plank  roads.  Railroad  connection  with  Chicago.  Burling- 
ton and  Missouri  River  railroad  will  be  finished  to  Mt. 
Pleasant  this  summer — almost  entirely  graded  to  Ottumwa 
now.  They  have  several  large  bakeries.  An  oil  and 
paper  mill  no  doubt  would  do  well  there. 

The  opening  of  the  railroad  between  Chicago  and  Bur- 
lington has  given  a  new  impetus  to  the  latter  city,  and  the 
population  and  business  of  the  place  increased  more 
during  the  past  year  than  it  has  in  any  three  years 
previous. 


128  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

The  people  of  Burlington  are  industrious  and  energetic, 
and  their  intelligence  and  literary  taste  may  be  judged  of 
from  the  fact  that  the  most  extensive,  if  not  the  only  His- 
torical and  Geological  Society  of  the  State,  is  located  at 
this  place.  We  are  indebted  to  one  of  its  gentlemanly 
members  for  a  brief  history  of  this  institution,  which  fol- 
lows : — 

"  The  Iowa  Historical  and  Geological  Institute  was  or- 
ganized December  18th,  1843,  and  incorporated  December 
31st,  1850.  Its  effects  were  destroyed  by  fire,  January 
16th,  1853.  Its  object  is  to  collect  and  preserve,  and  to 
open  to  the  public,  historical  matter  of  all  kinds,  more 
especially  that  relating  to  Iowa,  a  general  library,  maps, 
charts,  drawings,  pictures,  statuary,  and  a  cabinet  of  natural 
history,  also — to  sustain  public  lectures.  When  the  ca- 
binet and  library  were  destroyed  by  fire,  the  Institute  was 
in  a  flourishing  condition,  having  about  800  volumes  in 
the  library,  2000  pamphlets,  files  of  newspapers  since  the 
organization  of  the  Territory  and  State,  and  a  great  many 
papers  pertaining  to  the  early  history  and  settlement  of 
the  State,  about  4000  specimens  illustrative  of  the  geology 
of  this  State,  an  herbarium  containing  the  greater  portion 
of  the  plants  found  in  the  State,  also  a  number  of  speci- 
mens illustrative  of  the  zoology  of  the  State ;  and  a  large 
collection  of  Indian  relics,  numbering  about  400,  among  ! 
which  were  included  nearly  all  the  paraphernalia  of  Black 
Hawk.  The  loss  sustained  was  irreparable,  and  for  some 
time  it  was  difficult  to  keep  the  Institute  alive.  For  the  last 
year,  the  Institute  has  been  in  a  very  flourishing  condition ; 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  129 

in  fact,  so  much  so  that  a  thorough  re-organization  was 
necessary.     The  present  officers  are — 

"President,  DAVID  KOREB. 

Vice-President,  WILLIAM  THOMPSON. 

Corresponding  Secretary,  JOHN  H.  K.AUCH 

Recording  Secretary,  A.  D.  GREEN. 

Treasurer,  LUKE  PALMER. 

Librarian,  C.  C.  CLOUTMAN." 

DUBUQUE  COUNTY. 

Dubuque  is  one  of  the  oldest  counties  in  the  State,  being 
one  of  the  two  original  Districts,  from  which  the  principal 
eastern  counties  of  the  State  were  formed.  It  embraces 
the  most  noted  portions  of  the  mineral  region,  and,  singular 
as  it  may  appear,  though  in  the  very  heart  of  the  mineral 
region,  the  soil  is  generally  of  the  most  productive  charac- 
ter, yielding  large  crops  of  grain.  Few  countries  in  the 
world  possess  the  combined  advantages  of  a  soil  rich  in  fer- 
tility, and  at  the  same  time  underlaid  with  inexhaustible 
veins  of  lead  ore.  Lead  is  the  great  staple  of  export,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  annexed  statistics.  Copper  and  zinc 
have  also  been  discovered,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  induce  capitalists  to  enlist  in  the  work  of  developing 
them.  Several  valuable  lodes  or  veins  of  lead  were  disco- 
vered  during  the  past  winter. 

The  country  west  of  Dubuque  City  is  strikingly  beauti- 
ful, and  well  watered.  It  is  a  rolling  prairie,  interspersed 
with  groves  of  timber,  while  along  the  small  streams  run 


130  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

ning  from  north  to  south  there  are  large  bodies  of  good 
timber,  and  extensive  water-power.  Several  adjoining 
counties,  as  well  as  Dubuque,  are  well  settled — the  land  all 
entered  by  actual  settlers.  Mineral  lots  are  laid  off  in  almost 
tsvery  conceivable  shape,  and  contain  about  ten  acres  each. 

The  city  of  Dubuque,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  densely 
populated  in  the  State,  is  handsomely  situated  upon  a  na- 
tural terrace.  The  streets  run  parallel  to  each  other,  and 
owing  to  the  peculiar  soil  at  this  location,  are  never  muddy. 
This  city  is  more  compactly  built,  and  contains  a  greater 
proportion  of  fine  buildings  than  any  other  place  in  the 
State.  Among  these  the  Catholic  Cathedral,  court-house, 
and  hotels  stand  prominent.  The  city  is  bounded  on  the 
west  by  a  range  of  high  cliffs,  from  which  the  prospect  of 
the  city  and  county  is  entrancingly  beautiful. 

Three  daily  newspapers  are  published  in  Dubuque :  the 
"Express  and  Herald,"  the  "Tribune,"  and  the  "Ob- 
server," each  issuing,  beside,  a  weekly  edition.  The 
"Northwestern  Farmer"  (monthly)  was  commenced  Jan- 
uary 1,  1856—$!  a  year. 

The  population  of  Dubuque  County,  according  to  the 
census  of  1854,  was  16,513 ;  and  of  the  city,  10,000 ;  in 
April,  1856,  14,000.  The  number  of  buildings  erected 
in  the  city  during  1855  was  471. 

Of  the  society  in  Dubuque  we  need  not  remark  farther  than 
to  state,  that  this  population  of  14,000  ably  supports  twelve 
churches,  one  female  seminary,  one  college,  seven  select  and 
common  schools,  twenty-four  lawyers,  and  fourteen  doctors. 

This  city  being  the  present  terminus  of  two  important 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  131 

railroads,  has  recently  become  a  place  of  great  commercial 
importance. 

Good  investments  can  be  made  by  the  establishment,  at 
Dubuque,  of  manufactories  of  Red  and  White  Lead,  Lead 
Pipe,  Shot,  and  Sheet  Lead.  Capitalists  should  investigate 
this  matter. 

From  the  following  statistics,  the  reader  may  judge  of 
the  commercial  importance  of  the  City  of  Dubuque  : — 

Total  Tonnage.  Value. 

Imports  to  Dubuque  in  1855 276,69905      $11,266,84518 

«  "  1854 97,633  4,933,208  65 


Increase 179,05705       $6,333,63653 

Exports  from  Dubuque  in  1855...       24,23715        $3,689,26668 
"  "  1854...       11,736  1,573,408  30 


Increase 12,50113  $2,115,85828 

Lead  exported  in  1855 5,262  $631,440 

Iron,  Steel,  and  Nailsexp.ini 855       2,400  384,000 

Flour  exported  in  1855 2,640  216,000 

Wheat  exported  in  1855 1,620  81,000 

Corn  exported  in  1855 150  1,500  . 

We  invite  the  reader's  particular  attention  to  the  follow- 
ing comparative  table  of  immigration,  for  the  past  two 
years : — 

Crossed  the  Dubuque  Ferry  in  1854.     in  1855. 

Men,  women,  and  children 38,400         38,400 

Wagons 4,300         10,700 

Carriages 2,100           4,200 

Cattle 9,518        14,210 

Sheep 2,708           4,680 

Hogs 6,630        16,124 


132  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

The  number  of  arrivals  at  the  Hotels  at  this  point,  in 
1855,  were  85,045.  The  amount  of  the  public  domain 
sold  at  the  Dubuque  Land  Office  during  the  year,  was  :  cash 
sales,  808,923  acres;  located  with  Military  Warrants, 
801,440.  Received  at  the  United  States  Depository,  Du- 
buque, during  the  year,  $4,146,550.  Total  amount  of 
Eastern  exchange  sold  by  banking  houses,  $9,212,000. 

DELAWARE  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  in  1843.  Present  population  of  the 
county,  8000 — that  of  Delhi,  the  county-seat,  600. 

There  is  one  newspaper  just  started  in  the  county  under 
the  title  of  "  Delhi  Republican,"  with  very  fair  prospects 
of  success. 

The  number  and  condition  of  public  and  private  schools 
compare  favorably  with  those  of  other  counties  in  the  state, 
of  the  same  population/ 

No  manufactories,  yet  some  in  contemplation.  The 
county  and  its  towns  are  filling  up  rapidly  with  an  indus- 
trious, enterprising,  and  wealthy  population.  Great  in- 
ducements are  held  out  to  capitalists  to  erect  manufactories 
of  different  kinds.  There  is  an  abundance  of  water-power 
1£  miles  from  Delhi,  and  a  large  body  of  timber  on  the 
Maquoketa,  thus  affording  ample  opportunity  for  the  erec- 
tion of  machinery,  whether  propelled  by  steam  or  water- 
power.  This  county  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  wool-growing ; 
and  all  that  is  wanted  to  make  the  citizens  of  Delaware  a 
great  manufacturing  people,  is  to  make  their  advantages 
known  to  Eastern  capitalists. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  133 

Chair-making,  cabinet-making,  wagon,  carriage  and 
buggy  making,  woollen  factories,  in  short,  everything,  ex- 
cept distilling  alcoholic  liquors,  is  needed  in  this  vicinity. 
i  This  county  is  conveniently  interspersed  with  groves  of 
timber,  and  drained  by  the  Maquoketa,  Plumb,  Elk,  Bear, 
Buffalo,  Buck,  Little  Turkey,  and  Honey  Creeks,  all  of 
which  afford  some  fine  mill-sites. 

The  prairie  is  gently  undulating,  soil  good,  composed  of 
a  happy  admixture  of  vegetable  mould  and  sand,  based 
upon  a  porous  clay  subsoil.  We  have  an  abundance  of 
fine  lime-stone,  for  building  and  fencing  purposes. 

Near  Delhi  we  have  excellent  clay  for  the  manufacturing 
of  brick,  of  the  best  quality. 

Within  a  few  rods  of  this  village  plat,  we  have  a  fine 
sheet  of  pure  " soft  water"  covering  about  160  acres  of 
land,  containing  small  fish  in  abundance,  and  affording  a 
fine  opportunity  for  bathing  during  the  hot  months. 

Taking  Delaware  County  as  a  whole,  it  affords  as  fine  a 
chance  for  the  wealthy,  enterprising  immigrant,  as  any 
county  in  Northern"  Iowa. 

DECATUR  COUNTY. 

The  population  of  Decatur  County  is  6000.  The  seve- 
ral denominations,  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Baptists  and 
Christians,  have  each  organizations,  and  have  meetings  in 
turn  in  the  Court  House  in  Leon,  which  is  a  respectable- 
sized  two-story  brick  building.  No  buildings  for  public 
worship  yet  erected.  No  newspaper  in  Decatur  or  any 
adjoining  county.  In  the  county  are  some  twenty-five 
12 


134  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

public  schools,  well  conducted,  supported  principally  by 
the  school  fund.  In  the  county  are  three  steam,  saw,  and 
grist  mills,  and  two  others  in  process  of  erection.  Those 
who  may  wish  to  locate,  will  find  in  Decatur  good  openings 
for  saw  and  grist  mills,  brick-makers,  wheelwrights,  cabi- 
net-makers, wagon-makers,  house-builders,  blacksmiths, 
tinners,  and  shoemakers. 

The  northern  part  of  the  county  is  principally  prairies, 
while  the  southern  is  supplied  with  a  large  and  beautiful 
growth  of  timber.  Though  the  county  is  more  broken  than 
many  north  and  east  of  it,  the  soil  is, all  susceptible  of  cul- 
tivation, and  more  than  half  the  county  heavily  timbered. 

Thompson's  Fork  of  Grand  River  and  tributaries  spreads 
over  the  western  part  of  the  county,  affording  an  abun- 
dance of  clear,  soft  water,  and  plenty  of  timber,  for  all  pur- 
poses. These  streams  are  backed  by  extensive  beds  of 
lime  and  sand-stone,  suitable  for  building  purposes,  and 
supply  water  sufficient  to  run  flouring  or  saw-mills,  the 
year  through. 

Along  the  banks  of  several  of  these1  streams  thin  veins 
of  coal  have  been  discovered,  and  it  is  thought  that  exten- 
sive beds  would  be  found  by  proper  search,  but  no  labor 
has  yet  been  expended  upon  them. 

Leon,  the  county-seat,  is  situated  two  miles  due  east  of 
the  centre  of  the  county,  within  half  a  mile  of  an  extensive 
body  of  excellent  timber.  The  town  was  located  in  1853, 
present  population  400.  The  last  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture changed  the  name  of  this  town  to  "  Leon ;"  the  Post 
Office  yet  bears  the  original  name,  "  South  Independence." 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  135 

Decatur  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  high,  rolling  prairie, 
2|  miles  west  of  the  centre  of  the  county,  and  3  miles 
from  Thompson's  Fork  of  Grand  River.  Population  be- 
tween 200  and  300. 


FAYETTE  COUNTY 

Is  abundantly  watered  by  the  Turkey  River,  its  north 
and  south  forks,  tributaries,  and  numerous  springs.  The 
soil  is  admirably  adapted  for  all  agricultural  purposes.  The 
scenery  along  Turkey  River  and  its  north  and  south  forks 
is  beautiful,  and  timber  abundant.  The  principal  towns  in 
the  county  are  West  Union,  the  county-seat,  Gamble 
Grove,  Illyria,  Fayetteville,  Auburn,  Elgin,  Leo,  Lima, 
and  Taylorsville,  besides  post-offices  named  Eldorado,  Eden, 
Clermont,  Douglas,  Windsor,  and  Louisville. 

The  population  of  Fayette  County,  in  the  spring  of 
1854,  was  5042.  Present  population  about  8000.  West 
Union,  the  principal  town  and  county-seat,  numbers  800. 

This  county  is  very  rich  in  minerals.  Stone  coal  is  said 
to  be  very  abundant.  Lead  has  also  been  found  in  small 
parcels  in  various  parts  of  the  county.  A  species  of  red 
ochre  is  abundant  here,  from  which  paint  is  made  with  but 
little  trouble.  It  has  been  used  upon  buildings,  looks  well 
and  is  durable. 

In  Fayette  County  there  are  several  very  large  caves 
that  have  never  been  explored,  and  numerous  curiosities 
that  would  well  repay  the  Naturalist  or  Geologist  to  visit 
and  examine  them.  Some  of  the  heaviest  timber  in  the 


136  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

State  is  in  this  county.  Its  growth  and  prosperity  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  a  county  Agricultural  Society 
has  been  organised,  and  is  well  sustained. 

FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 

A  most  excellent  county  of  land — surface  gently  undu- 
lating. A  few  gravelly  knolls  are  found  in  this  county. 
Timber  is  rather  scarce,  but  scattered  through  the  county 
in  the  best  manner  to  make  it  available.  The  county-seat 
is  not  yet  located,  but  commissioners  have  been  appointed 
for  this  purpose,  and  it  soon  will  be.  The  county  was 
organized  at  the  election  in  August,  1855.  It  is  well 
watered  by  the  Iowa  and  Cedar  rivers  and  by  the  tributa- 
ries of  the  latter.  Fine  specimens  of  marble  have  been 
found ;  to  what  extent  it  exists  is  not  known.  Population 
about  300. 

FREMONT  COUNTY 

Is  the  extreme  south-western  county  of  the  State.  The 
first  settlement  was  at  Sidney,  the  county-seat,  where  the 
first  sale  of  lots  was  made  June  30th,  1851.  James  H. 
Cowles  was  the  first  resident.  The  present  population  of 
the  county-seat  is  400 — that  of  the  county  4200. 

Of  public  schools  there  are  in  the  county  some  twenty, 
with  ample  room  for  improvement  in  a  majority  of  them. 

The  Congregational,  Methodist,  Baptist,  Christians,  and 
Presbyterians,  have  each  societies  here. 

Here  are  a  carding-machine,  and  two  grist-mills,  one 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  137 

steam  saw-mill,  and  four  water-power  saw-mills,  all  doing 
an  excellent  business.  More  manufactories  and  mechanics 
are  needed.  A  steam  flouring-mill  would  do  a  first-rate 
business. 

The  surrounding  country  is  well  adapted  to  all  kinds  of 
agricultural  pursuits,  possessing  a  rich  and  productive  soil, 
well  supplied  with  water  and  timber,  and  rapidly  settling 
up  with  worthy,  industrious  and  intelligent  people. 

GUTHRIE  COUNTY 

Is  not  as  large  nor  as  old  as  many  other  counties  of  the 
State,  but  possesses  advantages  which,  when  developed,  will 
place  her  in  the  advance.  The  soil  of  Guthrie  is  second  to 
none  in  the  State,  for  the  farmer,  grazier,  and  fruit-grower. 
The  numerous  streams  of  running  water  afford  eligible  and 
profitable  sites  for  the  erection  of  the  much-needed  manu- 
factories, while  the  banks  are  big  with  inexhaustible  quar- 
ries of  lime,  free-stone,  and  stone-coal,  and  in  the  north- 
west corner  large  quantities  of  iron  ore  have  been  discovered. 
The  first  settlements  in  the  county  were  made  in  1850,  and 
the  present  population  is  3000.  The  principal  church  de- 
nominations are  Methodists,  United  Brethren,  0.  S.  Bap- 
tists, and  Friends,  each  of  whom  are  making  arrangements 
for  the  erection  of  church  buildings  for  their  respective 
denominations. 

Two  newspapers  have  been  recently  established  in  this 
county — the  Guthrie  County  Sentinel,  at  Panora,  the 
12* 


138  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

county-seat,  and  the  Western  Pioneer,  at  Guthrie  Centre, 
eight  miles  from  Panora.  These  two,  we  believe,  are  the 
only  papers  west  of  Fort  Des  Moines,  except  the  Bugle 
and  Chronotype  at  Council  Bluffs. 

Panora  was  settled  in  1853 ;  it  now  contains  a  popula- 
tion of  200.  More  saw-mills,  a  planing-mill,  lath-machine, 
carding  and  fulling-mill,  brick-makers,  carpenters,  masons, 
and  plasterers,  are  all  much  needed  in  Guthrie. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

DESCRIPTION   OP  COUNTIES — CONTINUED. 
HARDIN  COUNTY 

WAS  first  settled  in  1851 — present  population,  2000. 
There  is  an  abundance  of  timber,  coal,  red  and  white  sand- 
stone, fine  white  limestone :  lead  and  iron  ore  have  also 
been  found  along  Jena  river,  but  no  investigations  have 
been  made,  as  yet,  of  the  quality  or  extent.  The  towns 
are  all  new ;  and  in  each,  the  capitalist,  mechanic  or  trades- 
'man,  will  find  a  brisk  business  at  paying  rates.  The  soil 
is  excellent,  climate  pure  and  healthy,  and  the  inhabitants 
enterprising  and  intelligent.  Population  of  Hardin  City, 
350 ;  of  Eldora,  the  county-seat,  200 ;  of  Kocksylvania, 
150 ;  of  Pokeepsie,  100.  The  tide  of  immigration  will 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  139 

tend  strongly  into  Hardin,  and   great  improvements  be 
made,  in  1856- 

HARBISON  COUNTY, 

Situated  on  the  Missouri  Kiver,  is  but  sparsely  settled, 
yet  a  good  proportion  of  the  land  in  the  county  being 
entered.  This  county  is  well  watered  by  the  Boyer  River, 
the  Little  Sioux,  and  various  smaller  streams,  tributary  to 
these  and  the  Missouri.  Magnolia  is  the  county-seat,  be- 
side which  there  is  no  other  settlement  of  importance. 
For  a  description  of  the  soil  see  the  chapter  on  Western 
Iowa,  or  Pottawattamie  County. 

HENRY  COUNTY. 

Mount  Pleasant,  the  county-seat,  was  laid  out  in  the 
year  1836,  by  Presley  Saunders ;  at  that  time  the  lands  on 
which  it  was  located  were  not  in  market,  nor  had  it  ever 
been  surveyed,  but  the  beauty  of  the  location,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  great  abundance  of  superior  building-stone, 
and  the  large  body  of  timber  that  lay  contiguous  to  the 
site,  to  say  nothing  of  the  never-failing  springs  of  water 
that  gush  from  the  shores  of  the  branch  that  runs  through 
the  suburbs  of  the  town,  induced  the.  proprietor  to  believe 
that  a  town  might  be  built  up  that  would  be  a  credit  to  the 
State.  Nor  in  this  has  he  been  disappointed.  This  town 
now  contains  a  population  of  about  1500  inhabitants,  and 
is  at  present  in  a  more  prosperous  condition,  and  is  improv- 
ing faster  than  at  any  former  period. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  February  last,  was 
11,180.  Beside  the  county-seat,  there  are  other  towns  in 


140  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

the  county  of  considerable  size  and  importance.  Salem,  in 
the  south-west  part  of  the  county,  is  a  thriving  young  place, 
containing  875  souls.  New  London,  on  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  county  has  some  650  inhabitants.  Trenton,  in  the 
northern  portion,  some  500;  beside  these  are  Winfield, 
Lowell,  Hillsborough,  Rome,  East  Grove  P.  0.,  Marshall 
P.  0.,  Wayne  P.  0.,  &c.,  all  in  a  thriving  condition. 

There  are  six  church  edifices  in  Mount  Pleasant ;  Con- 
gregational, Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Christian,  0.  S.  Bap- 
tist, and  Missionary  Baptist.  Other  towns  and  villages  are 
proportionally  well  supplied  with  churches,  all  of  which 
are  well  attended,  and  in  a  healthy  condition.  In  point  of 
morality  and  sobriety,  the  community  of  Mount  Pleasant 
is  unsurpassed  in  the  State. 

One  newspaper,  "  The  Iowa  Observer,"  is  well-conducted 
and  well-sustained.  The  number  of  magazines  and  news- 
papers taken  at  that  P.  0.  indicate  the  intelligence  and 
refinement  of  the  people. 

Mount  Pleasant  has  been  named  and  known  heretofore, 
as  the  point  possessing  and  offering  greater  educational 
advantages  than  any  other  place  in  the  State,  and  she  has  yet 
no  rival  in  this  respect  except  Davenport.  The  "Iowa  Wes- 
leyan  University,"  under  the  control  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
is  a  Collegiate  Institute  of  the  first  grade,  has  150  students, 
and  is  in  full  and  successful  operation  under  the  man- 
agement of  Prof.  James  Harlan,  with  competant  assistants. 
The  "  Mt.  Pleasant  High  School  and  Female  Academy," 
under  the  management  of  Prof.  S.  L.  Howe,  a  teacher  of 
acknowledged  ability  and  experience  has  an  average  attend- 
ance of  100  pupils.  The  well-merited  reputation  of  this 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  141 

school  at  home  and  abroad  is  attested  by  the  patronage  it 
receives.  A  Select  School  for  Young  Ladies,  under  the 
superintendance  of  Rev.  B.  Wall,  and  taught  by  Mrs. 
Wall  and  Miss  McHarg,  has  recently  been  opened,  which 
bids  fair  to  become  a  Female  Seminary  of  usefulness  and 
extensive  patronage.  The  town  and  county  is  well  supplied 
with  well-attended  and  ably-conducted  common  schools. 

There  are  at  present  no  manufactories  of  importance  in 
Henry  County.  Steam  flouring  and  saw-mills,  a  foundry, 
and  a  carding  and  fulling-mill  are  much  needed,  and  would 
prove  good  investments.  Coal,  in  considerable  quantities, 
has  been  found  on  both  sides  of  the  Skunk  river,  also  in- 
exhaustible quarries  of  the  very  best  building  stone  near 
Alt.  Pleasant.  The  Burlington  and  Missouri  railroad  will 
be  finished  to  Mt.  Pleasant  during  the  present  year.  The 
Muscatine  and  Keokuk  railroad  also  passes  through  Mt. 
Pleasant. 

At  the  late  session  of  the  Legislature,  the  Iowa  Insane 
Asylum  was  located  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  appropriated  for  the  erection  of  the  building. 

The  soil  of  Henry  is  second  in  quality  to  that  of  no 
other  county  in  the  State.  The  land  is  well  watered,  all 
entered,  and  rapidly  filling  up  with  a  highly  intellectual 
and  industrious  class  of  citizens. 

IOWA  COUNTY, 

North  of  Keokuk,  and  west  of  Johnson,  is  well  sup- 
plied  with  timber  along  the  Iowa  River,  which  stream,  with 
the  north  fork  of  English  River,  Old  Man's  Creek,  Beavei 


142  DESCETPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

and  Richmond  Creeks,  affords  an  abundance  of  water  for  all 
purposes.  The  soil  is  admirably  adapted  for  farming  and 
grazing.  The  county  seat,  Marengo,  is  situated  upon  the 
Iowa  River,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  There  are 
settlements  at  Kozta,  Homestead,  Downard,  Millersburg 
and  North  English  Post  Offices.  The  Mississippi  and  Mis- 
souri railroad  passes  through  almost  the  centre  of  the 
county. 

JACKSON  COUNTY 

Comprises  in,  area  fourteen  full  and  six  fractional  town- 
ships of  land.  The  principal  towns  in  the  county  are 
Andrew,  Bellevue,  Wickliffe,  Fulton,  Maquoketa,  Bridge- 
port, and  some  seventeen  P.  0.  settlements  beside. 

During  the  past  year  great  improvements  have  been  made 
in  Maquoketa  and  Bellevue,  and  mechanics  and  business 
men  of  all  classes  will  here  find  good  openings.  The  pros- 
pect of  a  Railroad  connection  with  the  East,  at  Lyons,  has 
given  Maquoketa  a  new  impetus,  and  it  is  rapidly  assuming 
the  appearance  of  a  city.  At  Bellevue,  numerous  mills, 
stores,  warehouses,  and  dwellings  are  under  contract  to  be 
erected  this  year — also  the  grading  and  paving  of  their  levee. 

Flouring  and  saw-mills  are  in  active  and  profitable  ope- 
ration in  different  parts  of  the  county,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  obtain  from  their  proprietors  even  an  approximate  esti 
mate  of  their  profits. 

At  Bellevue,  are  excellent  openings  and  good  sites  for 
two  more  steam  saw-mills  and  a  planing-mill.  Lumber 
for  building  finds  very  ready  sale  as  fast  as  manufactured, 
and  lumber  for  sawing  is  easily  obtained.  A  small  iron 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  143 

foundry,  an  extensive  wagon-making  establishment,  and  a 
cooper's  establishment,  would  all  do  well  in  Jackson. 

Jackson  is  one  of  the  best  watered  counties  in  the  State, 
and  is  well  supplied  with  timber,  principally  white  oak,  black 
walnut,  ash,  hickory,  elm,  maple,  white  walnut,  and  bass- 
wood.  Water-power,  unsurpassed  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses :  upon  several  of  the  streams  are  already  erected 
flouring  and  saw-mills,  and  others  are  in  progress  of  erec- 
tion. The  county  is  also  one  of  the  best  for  agricultural 
purposes,in  the  State,  and  second  to  none  for  stock  raising. 

The  soil  in  the  valleys  is  a  first  rate  black  sandy 
loam  (several  feet  in  depth),  and  yields  heavy  crops  of 
corn ;  the  ridges  are  generally  second  and  third  rate  soil, 
with  a  subsoil  of  clay,  or  in  some  instances  ferruginous 
sand,  and  produce  fine  crops  of  wheat.  Potatoes  and 
other  root  crops,  as  well  as  vegetables  and  vines,  all  flourish 
luxuriantly.  The  rocks  of  the  county  are  what  belong  to 
the  "  Upper  Magnesian  Limestone"  formation ;  are  well 
adapted  for  building  purposes,  and  make  a  superior  quality 
of  lime. 

Iron  ore  is  found  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  lying 
loosely  on  the  surface,  and  no  doubt,  from  present  indica- 
tions, it  exists  in  large  masses.  "  Galena"  (lead  ore)  is 
also  frequently  picked  up  in  different  parts  of  the  county, 
and  some  mines  have  been  successfully  worked  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  county — there  is. a  rich  "lode"  of 
"  Galena"  only  three  miles  above  Bellevue,  dipping  into  the 
river,  which  can  be  seen  at  any  time  at  a  low  stage  of 
water  in  the  Mississippi.  It  is  the  opinion  of  old  miners, 


144  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

that  when  the  mineral  resources  of  this  county  are  properly 
developed,  it  will  prove  rich  in  both  lead  and  iron  ores,  as 
indications  of  its  existence  manifest  themselves  in  almost 
every  hill  and  ravine. 

Bellevue,  the  seat  of  justice  of  Jackson  county,  is 
situated  on  the  Mississippi  river,  twelve  miles  due  south 
of  the  city  of  Galena;  the  town  site  is  upon  an  elevated 
plateau  of  land  about  fifteen  feet  above  high  water  mark; 
it  is  surrounded  by  an  amphitheatre  of  hills,  mostly  covered 
with  timber,  which  break  off  the  severe  cold  winds  of 
winter,  and  prevent  the  temperature  from  falling  as  low 
by  several  degrees,  as  a  few  miles  distant  upon  the  ridges. 

The  population  of  Bellevue  is  about  1200.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  county  is  fully  15,000 ;  of  Maquoketa,  1000, 
and  emigrants  daily  arriving  in  every  part  of  the  county. 

There  are  five  organized  churches  in  the  town,  viz., 
Congregationalist,  Episcopalian,  Methodist,  Baptist,  and 
Catholic — one  of  each. 

JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 

The  first  sale  of  town  lots  took  place  in  1839. 

The  present  population  of  Jefferson  County  is  about 
16,000.  Population  of  Fairfield,  the  county-seat,  1600. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  population  is  from  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania.  In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county  is  a 
settlement  of  Swedes,  consisting  at  present  of  about  100 
families.  Their  first  settlement  in  that  part  of  the  county 
was  made  in  1847. 

There  is  also  in  the  north-east  a  settlement  of  Germans. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  145 

In  Fairfield  there  are  three  churches :  Presbyterian, 
Congregational,  and  Methodist. 

Two  newspapers  in  Fairfield ;  the  "  Fairfield  Ledger," 
(Whig),  and  the  "  Iowa  Sentinel,"  (Democrat). 

Jefferson  County  contains  88  schools,  and  65  school- 
houses,  59  of  which  are  frame,  the  remaining  6  brick. 
Total  amount  paid  teachers  during  the  year,  ending  Oct. 
31,  1854,  $5,538  12.  The  average  compensation  of  male 
teachers  for  the  same  time,  was  $20  35 — that  of  females, 
$9  97  !  Number  of  pupils  in  schools,  3622. 

A  branch  of  the  State  University  is  located  at  Fairfield. 
A  commodious  building  has  been  erected  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  pupils ;  and  purchased  by  an  association  of  citi- 
zens, who  have  established  a  flourishing  school  for  young 
men  and  boys,  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Anderson,  a 
teacher  of  experience  and  ability. 

There  is  also  a  Female  Seminary  in  this  place,  which  is 
in  a  prosperous  condition,  conducted  by  Rev.  L.  B.  Crit- 
tenden. 

Of  manufactories  the  principal  are  a  steam  saw-mill,  an 
iron  foundery,  a  sash  and  door  factory,  and  numerous  minor 
establishments.  We  need  a  steam  flouring-mill. 

A  United  States  Land  Office,  located  in  this  place,  has 
been  closed,  and  business  transferred  to  Chariton. 

There  are  several  thriving  villages  located  in  the  differ- 
ent sections  of  the  county,  among  which  are  Libertyville, 
seven  miles  south-west  from  Fairfield;  Brookville  and 
Abingdon,  the  former  six,  and  the  latter  twelve  miles  west ; 
13 


146  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

Pleasant  Plain,  twelve  miles  north ;  and  Glasgow  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county. 

There  are  three  extensive  nurseries  in  the  county.  A 
county  agricultural  society  was  organized  three  years  ago. 

The  "  Iowa  Farmer,"  an  ably-conducted,  well-supported, 
dollar,  monthly  agricultural  paper,  has  been  removed  and 
permanently  established  at  Fairfield. 

The  eastern  part  is  well  timbered.  On  the  borders 
of  Skunk  River  and  its  tributaries,  are  fine  groves  of 
various  kinds  of  timber,  suitable  for  building  and  fencing 
purposes.  The  most  common  are  the  white  and  burr 
oak,  walnut,  elm,  cottonwood,  and  linn ;  sugar  maple 
is  found  in  some  places  on  Skunk  River.  The  western 
portion  of  the  county  is  principally  prairie,  interspersed 
with  some  groves  of  timber,  and  is  well  adapted  to  cultiva- 
tion, as  no  portion  of  that  land  is  too  broken,  and  none  too 
flat,  for  cultivation. 

Farms  in  the  hands  of  residents  are  beginning  to  assume 
all  the  appearances  of  extensive  and  tasteful  cultivation. 

There  are  extensive  beds  of  coal  in  different  sections  of 
the  county.  Also  lime-stone  is  found  along  the  borders 
of  some  creeks. 

JOHNSON  COUNTY. 

Iowa  City  is  the  county-seat  of  Johnson  County,  and 
until  the  last  session  of  the  legislature,  was  the  capital  of 
the  State.  At  that  session  a  bill  was  passed,  removing  the 
seat  of  government  to  Fort  Des  Moines,  in  Polk  County, 
some  hundred  and  twenty  miles  further  west;  and  pro- 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  147 

viding  for^the  erection  of  temporary  public  buildings,  to  be 
approved  by  the  governor,  before  a  session  of  the  General 
Assembly  will  be  holden  there. 

The  present  State  House  is  not  entirely  finished,  but  is 
an  elegant  edifice  of  stone;  capacious,  well  adapted  to 
legislative  and  other  public  purposes,  and  an  ornament  to 
the  city.  This  building,  with  its  extensive  grounds,  is  a 
grant  to  the  State  University,  and  will  be  appropriated  to 
its  use  immediately  upon  the  removal  of  the  State  offices 
and  legislative  sessions. 

The  University  has  an  ample  fund,  and  is  now  in  opera- 
tion in  this  city ;  well  provided  with  competent  professors, 
and  temporarily  occupying  what  is  known  as  the  Mechanics' 
Academy.  The  number  of  students  is  at  present  but  about 
forty,  as  the  first  session  was  opened  only  on  the  first  Mon- 
day of  March,  1855. 

Besides  this  infant  institution,  strong  in  resources  and 
promises,  there  is  the  Female  Collegiate  Institute,  in  suc- 
cessful operation.  This  institution  has  been  reared  to  its 
present  prosperity,  principally  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  this  city,  and  other 
portions  of  the  State.  The  building  designed  for  this  semi- 
nary, will  be  completed,  probably,  during  the  present  year, 
and  no  expense  will  be  spared  to  render  it  equal  in  archi- 
tectural beauty  and  finish  to  any  in  Iowa. 

There  is,  also,  the  City  Union  School,  with  a  principal 
and  three  assistants,  besides  numerous  private  schools,  all 
thriving  finely.  There  is  no  town  in  the  State  better  sup- 


148  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

plied  with  educational  advantages,  considering  its  popu- 
lation. 

A  steam  grist-mill  is  now  operating  successfully  in  this 
city;  amount  of  business  not  known,  as  it  has  just  com- 
menced operations.  Another  is  to  be  erected  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Iowa  River  the  present  season.  About  three 
miles  west  of  town,  or  north-west,  are  Clarke's  flouring- 
mills,  clearing  their  owners  at  least  $10,000  per  annum. 

The  city  is  well  stocked  with  churches,  there  being 
no  less  than  seven  church  edifices,  and  eight  religious 
societies.  Of  these,  there  are  one  Baptist,  built  of  brick  in 
superior  style ;  an  Old  School  Presbyterian,  Methodist, — 
Protestant  Methodist,  Catholic,  and  TJniversalist,  also  of 
brick,  and  very  creditable  structures;  and  the  New  School 
Presbyterian,  a  neat  stone  edifice.  The  Episcopal  Society 
worships  in  the  basement  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

According  to  the  census  of  1854,  the  population  of  the 
city  was  3083 ;  which  is  probably  nearer  six,  than  three 
thousand  at  the  present  time.  It  is  situated  at  the  junc- 
tion of  two  great  railroad  routes — the  one  from  Daven- 
port, which  has  been  running  into  the  city  since  January 
1,  1856,  and  the  one  from  Clinton,  which  is  being  pushed 
forward  with  all  possible  dispatch.  In  no  other  place  in 
the  State  will  the  change  be  greater  or  more  favorable  than 
in  Iowa  City,  during  the  present  year.  Already  have  her 
weekly  papers  changed  to  tri-weekly ;  immense  manufac- 
tories, mills,  machine-shops,  hotels,  and  large  brick  blocks 
of  private  and  public  buildings,  are  springing  up  as  if  by 
magic.  Who  can  predict  the  future  of  this  great  railroad- 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  149 

centre,  of  the  most  fertile  and  most  prosperous  State  in  the 
Union  ? 

(See  Chapter  on  Railroads,  and  Table  of  Post  Offices, 
for  particulars  on  these  subjects.) 

The  county  is  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  counties  in 
the  State — well  adapted  for  stock  raising ;  also  wheat,  corn, 
and  potatoes.  A  flourishing  Agricultural  Society  of  two 
years'  standing  is  organized,  and  an  immense  interest  is 
awakened  in  its  behalf.  The  population  at  the  last  census 
was  8446,  which  is  increasing  at  an  astonishing  rate. 

JASPER  COUNTY 

Is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Poweshiek,  west  by  Polk, 
north  by  Marshall,  and  south  by  Marion  and  a  portion  of 
Mahaska  Counties.  In  no  county  in  the  State,  perhaps,  is 
there  better  soil  for  all  purposes  than  in  Jasper. 

Probably  no  portion  of  our  State  surpasses  Central  Iowa 
in  point  of  beauty,  fertility,  healthfulness  of  climate,  and 
the  thriftiness  of  its  inhabitants. 

In  1846,  the  Senatorial  Legislature  formed  it  out.  of  a 
portion  of  Mahaska  County;  and,  in  1847,  Newton,  the 
county-seat  of  Jasper,  was  laid  out  by  Thomas  Henderson 
and  Jacob  Fisher. 

Large  quantities  of  fine  stone-coal  are  found  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  place,  and  the  traveller  often  finds 
it  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground.  When  we  consider  that 
this  article  seems  almost  inexhaustible,  there  can  scarcely 
be  a  question  as  to  the  profitableness  of  almost  any  branch 
of  mechanical  and  manufacturing  industry  which  may  be 
13* 


150  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

established  in  this  portion  of  our  State.  Lime-stone,  suit- 
able for  building  purposes,  is  found  on  the  banks  of  Elk 
Creek  and  Skunk  River ;  this  one  article  greatly  facilitates 
the  operations  of  our  citizens  in  erecting  buildings,  and  in 
many  other  ways.  One  grist-mill  and  two  saw-mills  are 
now  in  successful  operation ;  but  the  demand  for  mills  is 
constantly  increasing.  Men  of  capital,  and  true  Western 
spirit,  are  making  arrangements  to  erect  forges  and  work- 
shops, which,  when  completed,  will  render  Newton  quite  a 
point  for  manufacturing.  Mr.  William  P.  Cole  is  working 
a  coal  bank,  which  has  a  strata  of  good  coal  5  feet  thick, 
and  of  an  extent  unknown — situated  on  South  Skunk, 
Sec.  32,  T.  80,  R.  21. 

The  M.  and  M.  R.  R.,  already  built  to  Iowa  City,  is 
rapidly  extending  her  iron  arms  westward,  and  will  soon  place 
Newton  upon  the  great  Iron  Highway  to  the  Atlantic. 

The  present  population  of  Jasper  County  is  about  8000  j 
of  Newton,  750  j  of  Monroe,  200 ;  of  Quincy,  200. 

JONES  COUNTY 

Was  first  settled  in  1836,  organized  in  1839,  and  the 
county-seat  located  at  Anamosa  in  May,  1847.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  county  in  October,  1854,  was  6300 — being 
about  eleven  to  the  square  mile.  In  this  county  will  be 
found  a  due  proportion  of  timber  land  and  prairie  land ; 
while  the  mill-sites  upon  the  Wabsipinnicon  are  numerous, 
and  building-stone  abundant.  Beside  the  Wapsie',  are  the 
North  and  South  Forks  of  the  Maquoketa,  Bear,  and 
Mineral  Creeks,  and  numerous  first-rate  springs  of  good 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  151 

water.  The  towns  in  the  county  are  Anamosa,  Eome, 
Bowen's  Prairie,  Fairview,  and  Monticello.  In  Anamosa 
is  published  one  newspaper,  "  The  News."  There  are  also 
one  Congregational  and  one  United  Brethren  church  edi- 
fices, and  organizations  each,  of  Methodists,  Christians^  and 
Universalists.  The  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows  each  have 
Lodges  there.  The  Iowa  Central  Air-Line  Railroad  passes 
through  the  county,  touching  at  Anamosa.  This  line  is 
located  and  under  contract  as  far  as  Marion,  Linn  County. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DESCRIPTION   OP  COUNTIES  —  CONTINUED. 

KEOKUK  COUNTY 

Is  the  third  county  from  the  Mississippi  River  and  the 
Missouri  State-line;  situated  west  of  Washington,  and 
north-west  of  Jefferson  Counties.  The  land  is  of  an  ex- 
cellent quality,  well  watered  by  the  Checauque  and  its 
tributaries,  which  are  skirted  with  a  good  supply  of  timber. 
Lancaster,  the  county-seat,  has  increased  very  rapidly  during 
the  past  two  years,  as  has  the  entire  county. 

The  Muscatine  and  Oskaloosa  Railroad,  which  is  under 
contract,  passes  through-the  county,  touching  the  county- 
seat.  Sigourney,  Waugh's  Point,  and  Richland  are  each 


152  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.' 

centres  of  large  settlements  of  intelligent  and  industrious 
people ;  the  latter  place  is  settled  principally  by  Friends, 
or  Quakers. 

KOSSUTH  COUNTY. 

This  is  the  second  county  in  extent  in  the  State,  com- 
prising what  was  formerly  Bancroft,  Kossuth,  and  the 
north  part  of  Humboldt.  It  contains  eight  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Its 
population  is  about  300.  Some  of  the  northern  townships 
are  rather  sloughy ;  but  the  county  generally  has  as  fine 
lands  as  are  found  in  the  State.  The  East  Branch  of  the 
Des  Moines  River  passes  through  this  county  near  its 
centre,  east  and  west,  for  a  distance  of  fifty  miles.  There 
are  fine  groves  of  timber  nearly  the  whole  extent.  The 
county  was  organized  in  August,  1855,  although  the  lands 
are  not  in  market,  and  Asa  C.  Call,  the  first  settler,  elected 
County  Judge.  One  saw-mill  is  already  erected.  This 
county  affords  some  of  the  best  chances  of  any  in  the  State. 
Its  settlers  are  of  the  most  enterprising  class.  Alquona  is 
the  county-seat,  and  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  east 
fork  of  the  Des  Moines  River.  Three  or  four  towns  have 
been  laid  out  in  this  county,  but  we  cannot  give  the  loca- 
tion of  them,  nor  the  name  of  but  one,  Cresco ;  the  place 
to  be  built  up  by  the  Western  Home  Association,  of  which  ; 
H.  Kellogg,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  is  President. 

LEE  COUNTY 

Is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Des  Moines  Rivers,  and  is  the  most  southern  county  in  the 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  153 

state ;  it  is  bounded  on  the  south-east  by  the  Mississippi, 
which  separates  it  from  Illinois ;  on.  the  south-west  by  the 
Des  Moines,  separating  it  from  Missouri  j  on  the  west  by 
Van  Buren ;  and  on  the  north  by  Henry  and  Des  Moines 
Counties.  The  county  is  well  watered  by  the  Des  Moines 
and  Mississippi  and  their  tributaries.  The  principal  towns 
are  Keokuk,  Montrose,  Fort  Madison,  West  Point,  Frank- 
lin, Nashville,  &c. 

The  bottom-lands  of  Lee  are  well  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
the  agriculturist,  and  its  prairies  are  elevated,  dry  and  roll- 
ing. The  business  of  stock-raising  has  been  entered  into 
in  Lee  more  extensively  perhaps  than  in  any  other  county. 

The  city  of  Keokuk,  the  largest  place  in  the  county,  is 
situated  at  the  foot  of  the  Des  Moines  or  Lower  Rapids,  at 
the  extreme  south-east  corner  of  the  state.  By  the  usual 
routes  of  travel  it  is  230  miles  from  Chicago ;  210  from 
St.  Louis ;  400  from  the  junction  of  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi ;  1000  from  New  York ;  and  1400  from  New  Orleans. 
Its  position  as  a  central  commercial  point  is  scarcely 
equalled  by  that  of  any  other  city  west  of  Chicago,  and 
endows  it  with  business  advantages  and  facilities  of  the 
highest  importance.  These  advantages  are  three-fold,  and 
may  be  treated  of  under  the  three  following  heads,  viz : — 

First,  those  derived  from  the  navigation  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  Lower  Rapids,  formed  by  a  rocky  stratum  in 
the  river,  commencing  about  200  yards  above  the  city,  and 
running  northward  a  distance  of  12  miles,  with  a  fall  of  24 
feet,  render  Keokuk  the  head  of  navigation  during  a  great 
portion  of  the  year,  until  the  work  of  improving  the  Rapids 


154  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

is  completed.  At  present,  in  time  of  low  water,  steamers 
are  obliged  to  unload  their  cargoes  into  "lighters,"  which 
are  towed  up  the  Rapids,  above  which  the  freight  is  again 
loaded  into  the  boats ;  and  thus  this  city  is  rendered  a 
wholesale  depot,  and  place  of  transhipment. 

The  second  point  lies  in  the  trade  of  the  Des  Moines 
Valley  which  Keokuk  must  inevitably  command,  situated 
but  2  miles  above  the  confluence  of  the  Des  Moines  and 
Mississippi  Kivers.  This  valley,  for  a  width  of  sixty  miles 
on  either  side  of  the  Des  Moines  River,  is  unsurpassed 
probably  in  the  world  for  agricultural  wealth.  It  also 
abounds  in  timber,  coal,  gypsum,  and  many  other  articles 
of  trade,  and  these  will  be  transmitted  down  the  Des 
Moines  to  its  mouth  at  Keokuk,  thence  re-shipped  to  other 
markets.  Of  the  improvement  of  the  Des  Moines  we 
speak  at  length  in  another  Chapter. 

The  third  source  of  business  advantages  which  Keokuk 
can  claim,  lies  in  its  railroads.  The  Keokuk  and  Fort  Des 
Moines,  the  Keokuk,  Mt.  Pleasant  and  Muscatine,  and  the 
Eastern  railroads  will  soon  be  built,  and  will  afford  this 
city  numerous  connections  of  the  highest  importance. 

Keokuk  is  situated  upon  a  bluff  150  feet  above  high- 
water  mark  in  the  Mississippi,  is  laid  out  one  mile  square, 
and  contains  a  population  of  about  10,000.  Its  streets  are 
wide  and  regular,  and  are  being  graded  and  McAdamized 
with  rapidity.  Main  Street,  100  feet  in  width,  is  McAdam- 
ized through  the  city  for  a  distance  of  one  mile.  The  city 
contains  six  brick-yards,  two  lumber-yards,  one  flouring  and 
grist-mill,  two  foundries,  one  machine  shop,  five  hotels,  &c. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  155 

Its  public  school  is  held  in  the  largest  and  handsomest 
building,  which,  throughout  the  State,  is  devoted  to  the 
cause  of  education.  The  edifice,  when  fully  completed, 
will  have  cost  $13,500.  This  city  also  contains  the  Iowa 
Medical  College,  a  State  institution,  and  a  Female  Semi- 
nary, besides  two  other  female  institutes,  and  a  number  of 
private  schools.  Six  church  edifices,  0.  and  N.  S.  Presby- 
terian, Baptist,  Methodist,  Episcopalian  and  Catholic.  See 
chapters  on  "  Railroads,"  and  "  Public  Improvements." 

The  bluff  on  which  the  city  stands  contains  the  finest  of 
lime-stone,  for  building  and  other  purposes,  and  commands 
a  landscape  view  of  wild  and  picturesque  beauty. 

LINN  COUNTY 

Is  the  third  from  the  Mississippi  River,  and  in  the  very 
heart  of  a  rich  agricultural  region.  The  county  is  well  sup- 
plied with  water,  and  extensive  water-power,  by  the  Red 
Cedar  and  Waubsepinnicon  Rivers,  and  Buffalo  Creek,  each 
of  which  pass  through  it,  and  the  banks  of  which  are  hea- 
vily timbered.  Present  population,  13,000. 

Cedar  Rapids,  the  largest  town  in  the  county,  is  built 
upon  both  sides  of  the  Cedar  River — has  an  immense  water- 
power,  (as  its  name  indicates),  and  is  the  agricultural,  com- 
mercial, and  manufacturing  centre  and  mart,  of  not  only 
Linn,  but  several  surrounding  counties.  The  Chicago,  Iowa 
and  Nebraska  Railroad  is  under  contract,  being  rapidly 
pushed  forward,  and  it  is  believed  will  be  completed  from 
Clinton  to  Cedar  Rapids  early  next  year,  thus  connecting 


156  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

Cedar  Rapids  and  Linn  County  with  the  East.  Present 
population  of  Cedar  Rapids,  2300. 

Marion,  the  county-seat,  is  situated  five  miles  north-east 
from  the  Rapids,  surrounded  on  the  east,  west,  and  south 
by  fine  groves  of  timber,  adjoining  which  are  farms  under 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  This  town  is  beautifully 
located,  and  its  citizens  exhibit  much  good  judgment  as  well 
as  good  taste,  in  the  erection  of  substantial  and  beautiful 
buildings,  for  business  and  for  residences.  Attention  is 
also  paid  to  adorning  and  cultivating  their  grounds  and 
parks  which  would  be  creditable  to  larger  towns.  Some 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  business  of  Marion,  from  the 
fact  that  eleven  extensive  dry-goods  stores  are  each  doing 
a  lucrative  business. 

Of  educational  edifices  and  institutions,  there  are  at  Ce- 
dar Rapids,  two  female  seminaries,  one  high  school,  and 
several  schools  for  less  advanced  pupils.  Efforts  are  being 
made  for  the  establishment  of  a  college,  also.  ..  Marion  sup- 
ports several  ably-conducted  schools,  and  has  one  of  the  best 
buildings  for  common-school  purposes,  in  the  State.  These, 
with  her  court-house,  five  churches,  and  the  large,  tasteful 
blocks  of  buildings,  give  Marion  a  prepossessing  appear- 
ance. 

The  "  Iowa  Conference  Seminary,"  is  located  at  Mount 
Vernon — has  a  brick  edifice  40  by  72  feet,  3  stories  high. 
It  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Rev.  S.  M.  Fellows,  A.  M.,  assisted  by  three  regu- 
lar teachers,  besides  music  teacher,  and  teacher  of  painting 
and  embroidery.  Number  of  students  now  in  attendance 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  157 

about  150;  most  of  them- young  ladies  and  gentlemen  from 
abroad.  The  situation  is  unsurpassed  for  beauty. 

The  Iowa  Central  Air-Line  Railroad  is  under  contract  to 
Marion,  to  which  point  the  company  expect  to  have  the 
road  graded  this  season. 

Present  population  of  Marion,  1800. 

Those  wishing  particular  information  of,  or  having  busi- 
ness to  transact  in  Linn,  will  be  well  served  by  Messrs. 
Dodge  &  Wood,  bankers,  collectors,  and  general  land  agents, 
Cedar  Rapids. 

The  Cedar  Valley  Times,  Cedar  Valley  Farmer,  and  the 
Linn  County  Register,  (the  latter  at  Marion),  are  well  pa- 
tronized and  worthy  papers. 

LOUISA  COUNTY 

Is  bounded  by  the  Mississippi  on  the  east,  which,  with 
the  Iowa  and  Cedar  Rivers,  traversing  it  diagonally  through 
the  centre,  present  an  abundance  of  water  and  timber. 

The  present  population  of  the  county  is  8700,  and  of 
Wapello,  the  county-seat,  1200. 

The  railroad  from  Muscatine  to  Oskaloosa,  is  in  a  fair 
way  to  be  completed  early  this  year,  and,  passing  through 
this  county,  will  do  much  to  make  known  the  undeveloped 
resources  and  "hidden  treasures"  of  this  region. 

This  county  embraces  a  principal  portion  of  the  Keokuk 
Reserve,  purchased  by  the  Government  in  1836.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact,  that  almost  the  whole  tribe  of  Sacs  and 
Foxes  were  congregated  here  until  after  the  first  or  Black 
Hawk  purchase  of  1832 ;  notwithstanding  they  had  almost 
14 


158  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

a  boundless  region  from  which  to  select  their  villages  and 
huntin  g-groun  ds. 

Wapello,  the  seat  of  justice,  is  handsomely  located  on 
the  old  site  of  "  Wapello's  Village."  Wapello  was  a  Fox 
chief,  who  resided  there  until  the  summer  of  1836,  as  chief 
of  his  band.  There  are  several  small  villages  in  Louisa, 
among  which  are  Toolsboro',  Columbus  City,  Harrison, 
Florence,  Fredonia,  &c.  Toolsboro' — formerly  Black  Hawk 
— is  situated  upon  the  north  side  of  the  Iowa,  about  three 
miles  from  the  Mississippi,  has  an  extensive  country  trade, 
and  is  somewhat  celebrated  for  its  ancient  mounds  and  for- 
tifications. 

Florence  derives  its  principal  notoriety  from  its  having 
been  the  residence  of  Black  Hawk  until  the  Indian  hos- 
tilities in  1832.  Here  repose  the  bones  of  his  ancestors, 
where  they  have  rested  for  centuries.  It  was  here  that  he 
sounded  the  war-whoop,  and  rallied  his  countrymen  to  the 
last  deadly  conflict,  in  defence  of  the  homes  and  the  graves 

"  Where  sleep  their  warriors ;  where  rival  chieftains  lay, 
And  mighty  tribes,  swept  from  the  face  of  day." 

But  they  were  conquered,  and  this  illustrious  warrior 
was  doomed  to  wander,  a  stranger  in  the  land  of  his  fore- 
fathers. His  lodge  was  still  standing  at  the  time  the 
country  was  surveyed. 

MADISON  COUNTY, 

Recently  organized,  is  but  sparsely  settled.  The  soil  is 
good,  climate  healthy,  and  land  very  cheap.  Population 
of  county,  4500 — of  Wintusett,  county-seat,  700. 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  159 

MAHASKA  COUNTY, 

Of  which  Oskaloosa  is  the  county-seat,  is  a  thriving  and 
populous  county  for  its  age.  The  first  settlements  in  the 
county  were  made  in  1842,  on  the  public  land,  and  in  June, 
1843,  the  county-seat  was  organized  by  commissioners  ap- 
pointed by  the  Legislature.  The  present  population  of  Os- 
kaloosa is  nearly  8500. 

The  advantages  this  county  boasts,  are  her  central  posi- 
tion in  the  State ;  her  universally  fertile  soil,  (producing  an 
average  of  80  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre) ;  the  abundance 
of  water,  and  extensive  water-power  furnished  by  the 
Des  Moines,  North  and  South  Skunk,  and  their  tributa- 
ries; her  inexhaustible  quarries  of  free,  lime,  and  sand 
stone ;  her  extensive  and  variously  distributed  beds  of  stone 
coal ;  her  bounteous  supply  of  timber  along  each  water- 
course that  traverses  the  county;  and  the  industry,  intelli- 
gence, and  high  moral  tone  and  character  of  her  inhabit- 
ants. 

Oskaloosa,  being  the  county-seat  and  commercial  centre 
of  this  rich  agricultural  district,  is  an  important  town.  It 
is  well  supplied  with  grist  and  saw-mills,  machine-shops, 
and  manufactories  of  different  kinds.  Four  hotels  are  doing 
a  good  business,  and  another,  120  feet  front  on  two  streets, 
is  about  to  be  built.  Two  ably -conducted  and  well- sustained 
newspapers,  (the  Times,  democratic,  and  the  Herald,  re- 
publican), are  published  in  Oskaloosa,  and  a  third  is  about 
to  be  established. 


160  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

MARION  COUNTY 

Was  settled  in  October,  1845,  by  Wilson  Stanley,  L.  G. 
Terry,  L.  W.  Babbitt,  Dr.  R.  Mathews,  E.  &  T.  Jenkins, 
J.  D.  Bedell,  and  E.  G-.  Stanfield.  The  present  popula- 
tion of  the  county  is  14,000 — of  Knoxville,  the  county- 
seat,  1100. 

In  the  county-seat  are  one  Methodist,  and  one  Congre- 
gational, edifices.  The  different  denominations  are  Metho- 
dist, Lutheran,  Congregational,  Presbyterian,  Baptist,  Mis- 
sionary Baptist,  Associate  Reformed,  and  United  Brethren. 

The  number  of  public  schools  is  stated  to  be  sixty-six. 
Two  high  schools — one  in  Knoxville,  another  in  Pella — all 
in  a  prosperous  condition.  A  college  is  being  erected  in 
Pella  by  the  Missionary  Baptists. 

Several  steam  saw  and  flouring-mills  in  operation,  but 
threefold  more  needed.  Also  manufactories  of  all  kinds 
wanted. 

Soil  good  for  farming  purposes,  timber  plenty,  water 
abundant  and  excellent.  Prairie  unsurpassed  by  any  in 
the  Union.  Climate  good.  Winters  admirably  adapted  for 
stock,  owing  to  their  dryness  and  evenness.  Stone-coal, 
of  excellent  quality,  abounds  in  veins  eight  feet  thick. 
Splendid  lime  and  sandstone,  for  building  purposes,  abun- 
dant. 

Knoxville,  and  Pella,  are  each  thrifty,  active,  business 
places.  Pella  was  laid  out  in  1848,  by  Henry  P.  Schotte, 
of  Holland.  It  contains  now  about  1500  inhabitants,  prin- 
cipally Hollanders.  They  are  a  steady,  industrious,  honest 
class  of  people,  and  brought  considerable  wealth  with  them. 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  161 

Two  steam  saw-mills,  sash  and  door  factory,  plow  factory, 
a  patent  brick,  and  a  carding  machine,  also  an  oil-mill,  are  all 
in  course  of  construction,  at  Pella.  Mechanics  and  build- 
ers, manufacturers  and  capitalists,  are  needed  at  both  Pella 
and  Knoxville.  One  German,  and  two  American  schools, 
in  successful  operation  at  Pella. 

Persons  wanting  information  of  this  county,  can  refer  to 
Schotte  &  Grant,  bankers  and  land  agents,  also  publishers 
of  the  "  PelJa  Gazette,"  and  of  the  "  Bankers'  and  Land 
Agents'  Monthly  Bulletin ;"  or  to  Brobst  &  Miller,  sur- 
veyors and  land  agents,  Knoxville.  (See  list  of  Post  Of- 
fices,  another  chapter.) 

MAESHALL  COUNTY 

Though  new,  is  improving  rapidly.  Population  in  1854, 
1703— in  1855,  2500— in  February,  1856,  3600— of  Ma- 
rietta,  county-seat,  200.  The  Iowa  River  and  tributaries, 
traversing  the  county,  are  well-timbered.  Lead,  iron,  lime- 
stone, and  free-stone,  in  considerable  quantities,  exist  in 
this  county. 

MILLS  COUNTY. 

Glenwood,  the  county-seat,  was  first  settled  by  the  Mor- 
mons, in  1847,  and  this  was  about  the  first  settlement  in 
the  county ;  but  that  population  has  long  since  been  almost 
entirely  supplanted  by  people  from  Michigan,  New  York, 
Ohio,  and  Missouri. 

The  present  population  of  the  town  is  about  eight  hun- 
dred— that  of  the  county  about  six  thousand. 
14* 


162  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

For  description  of  soil  and  climate,  see  chapter  on  West- 
ern Iowa  and  Nebraska. 

There  are  three  churches  in  the  place,  viz. :  Methodist, 
Congregationalist,  and  Presbyterian  (Old  School');  in  the 
county,  ten  churches,  belonging  to  the  same  denominations. 

Two  newspapers  are  published  in  the  county :  the  "  Glen- 
wood  Times,"  and  the  "  St.  Mary's  Gazette." 

There  are  a  large  Union  School  and  two  District  Schools 
in  the  town,  and  about  twenty  common  schools  in  the 
county,  all  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  supplied  with 
good  teachers.  There,  is  still  a  great  demand  for  teachers. 

They  have  one  flouring  and  two  saw-mills  —  the  two 
latter  driven  by  steam.  There  are  fifteen  mills  in  the 
county,  one  carding-machine,  and  a  shingle-mill.  All  of 
the  above  named  are  overstocked  with  business,  and  there 
is  abundance  of  room  for  others.  Cabinet-makers,  weavers, 
cloth-fullers,  tanners,  house-builders,  and  every  class  of 
mechanics,  are  much  needed. 

MITCHELL  COUNTY 

Is  in  the  northern  tier  of  counties,  and  although  new,  is 
fast  filling  up  with  actual  settlers.  The  town  of  Osage  is 
the  principal  settlement  now  in  the  county,  and  has  a  po- 
•pulation  of  800.  One  of  the  proprietors  authorizes  us  to 
say,  that  they  will  give  a  lot  to  every  mechanic  who  will 
permanently  locate  there — until  the  town  has  2000  inhabi- 
tants. [Most  of  the  smaller  interior  towns  throughout  the 
State  will  do  the  same.]  A  steam-mill,  and  a  portable 
grist-mill,  are  among  the  improvements.  There  is  a  report 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  163 

in  circulation  at  the  present  writing,  (March  1, 1856),  that 
the  Land  Office  for  the  Turkey  River  District,  will  be  re- 
moved to  Osage,  this  Spring. 


Is  the  central  one,  of  those  bordering  upon  the  Missouri 
River  j  it  is  well  watered  by  the  Little  Sioux  and  Soldier 
Rivers,  and  numerous  lakes,  and  is  well-timbered.  This 
and  the  adjoining  counties  have  considerable  unentered 
land,  which  actual  settlers  would  do  well  to  locate  upon. 
Ashton  is  the  county-seat.  The  Iowa  Central  Air-Line 
Railroad  is  projected  to  reach  the  Missouri,  in  this  county. 

MONROE  COUNTY 

Was  organized  in  1843,  and  the  county-seat  "  laid  off" 
in  1844.  Present  population  of  the  county,  4200— of  Al- 
bia,  the  county-seat,  400. 

Steam  flouring-mills,  saw-mills,  coopering  establishments, 
cabinet-ware  manufactories,  and  any  number  of  industrious 
mechanics  are  greatly  needed  here.  At  present  the  cooper- 
age for  pork,  lard  and  flour,  is  obtained  from  a  great  dis- 
tance, at  decided  disadvantage. 

This  county  is  as  well  watered  as  any  portion  of  the 
State.  The  principal  streams  which  have  their  rise  in,  or 
pass  through  the  county,  are  Cedar  Creek,  Whippoorwill 
Creek,  White's  Creek,  and  Coal  Creek;  the  three  latter, 
with  numerous  smaller  streams,  emptying  into  Cedar  Creek, 
render  it  of  proper  size  and  power  for  mill-sites,  and  there 
are  now  five  mills  erected  on  this  stream,  doing  business 
more  than  half  the  year.  Bluff's,  Gray's,  Miller's,  Aver/s, 


164  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

and  Soap  Creeks,  are  each  streams  of  some  size,  and  skirted 
with  timber  averaging  nearly  a  mile  in  width. 

Throughout  the  county  the  soil  is  very  good ;  the  prairies 
are  small,  high,  and  fertile.  An  abundance  of  timber,  coal, 
and  limestone  may  be  found  in  most  parts  of  the  county. 
The  best  land  is  entered,  but  claims  to  some  of  the  very 
best  can  be  bought  at  from  five  to  ten  dollars  per  acre. 
The  county  is  increasing  in  numbers  very  rapidly,  and 
offers  great  inducements  to  manufacturers,  mechanics,  farm- 
ers,  and  citizens  of  all  classes. 

MUSCATINE  COUNTY. 

[NOTE. — Inasmuch  as  the  greatest  (and  so  far  as  we 
can  learn,  only)  opposition  urged  against  the  circulation  of 
the  first  edition  of  this  work,  was  from  the  press  of  Mus- 
catine,  who  claim  that  the  population  and  importance  of 
their  city  was  underrated,  the  author  prefers,  in  the  pre- 
sent volume,  to  give  the  exact  statements  furnished  by  two 
of  the  most  intelligent,  deeply  interested,  and  wealthy  men 
of  the  city :  ; 

Population  of  Muscatine,  7,568. 

Schools — two  public,  and  two  select. 

Manufactories  in  operation. — Carriage  and  wagon,  7; 
boot  and  shoe,  12 ;  cooperage,  7 ;  cabinet-ware,  10 ;  bed- 
stead, 1  j  chair,  1 ;  sash  and  blind,  3 ;  foundery  and  machine, 
(small)  1 ;  flour-mills,  3 ;  saw-mills,  2 ;  stave  and  shingle, 
2  each. 

Manufactories  needed. — A  large  foundery  and  machine 
shop,  for  boilers,  engines,  &c.  j  a  manufactory  for  reapers, 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  165 

and  farming  implements  generally;  for  wagons,  carriages, 
and  furniture. 

Proof. — During  the  past  year  four  of  the  forwarding 
houses  have  received  from  the  East — 


Engines 24 

"    portable 6 

Boilers,  large 27 

Reapers  and  Thrashers...  206 


Separators -   18 

Corn  and  Cob  Mills 24 

Wagons,  large 391 

Carriages  and  Buggies....     65 


Also  needed. — 1st.  One  or  more  good,  efficient  news- 
papers, with  material  for  good  job-work;  good  printers, 
with  capital  to  establish  themselves  in  business;  2d,  a 
good  academy,  or  high  school,  for  both  sexes — in  this  we 
are  wofully  deficient,  and  a  better  opening  is  not  to  be 
found  in  the  State ;  3d,  a  good  bookbinder — one  can  do 
well,  and  have  a  clear  field. 

Mechanics  and  business  men  needed. —  School-teachers 
of  a  superior  character;  foundrymen,  machinists,  chair- 
makers,  (an  immense  number  of  chairs  are  landed  here  for 
the  interior.)] 

This  county  is  situated  next  below  Scott  County,  on  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  contains  an  area  of  432  square  miles. 
The  name  of  this  county  was  derived  from  a  tribe  of  In- 
dians known  as  the  Muscoutins. 

The  city  of  Muscatine  is  located  upon  uncommonly 
broken  ground,  and  a  majority  of  the  lots,  either  for  busi- 
ness or  residence?,  require  grading;  the  citizens,  however, 
are  of  that  class,  who,  appreciating  the  superiority  of  their 
location  in  other  respects,  have  by  art  made  smooth  Nature's 
rough  places,  and  tasteful  and  stately  residences  now  grace 


166  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

bluffs,  which,  but  a  few  months  ago,  were  almost  inacces- 
sible. 

Two  newspapers  are  published  in  Muscatine :  a  Whig, 
weekly  and  tri-weekly;  and  a  Democratic,  weekly. 

The  inhabitants  have  the  character  of  being  second  to 
none  in  the  State  in  point  of  intelligence  and  industry. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DESCRIPTION   OP  COUNTIES  —  CONTINUED. 

PAGE  COUNTY, 

Situated  on  the  Missouri  line,  and  within  one  county  of 
the  Missouri  River,  is  of  good  arable  land,  well  watered, 
well  timbered,  and  but  sparsely  settled,  the  largest  town 
in  the  county  is  the  county-seat.  Actual  settlers  will 
here  find  locations  to  suit  them,  at  their  own  prices. 
There  is  yet  some  vacant  land  in  this,  and  the  adjoining 
county. 

PALO  ALTO  COUNTY 

Contains  much  very  excellent  land,  mainly  Prairie. 
Along  the  Des  Moines  River,  which  passes  diagonally 
through  it,  scattering  bodies  of  timber  are  found.  Near 
the  centre  is  Medium  Lake,  which  is  about  seven  miles  in 
length  and  one  in  width.  A  few  pioneers  are  settled  in 
this  county. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  167 

POCHAHONTAS  COUNTY 

Is  composed  of  prairie  almost  entirely.  The  West  Fork  of 
the  Des  Moines  River  passes  through  its  easterly  boundary, 
and  it  is  pretty  well  watered  by  its  tributaries.  There  are 
yet  no  settlers  in  this  county. 

POLK  COUNTY 

Was  opened  for  settlement  in  May,  1846.  The  garrison 
was  removed  in  July  of  that  year,  and  in  the  same  month 
and  year,  the  town  of  Fort  Des  Moines  was  laid  out. 

The  population  of  Polk  County  is  upwards  of  8000  j 
that  of  Fort  Des  Moines,  1900. 

In  the  county  are  Episcopal,  Presbyterian  (Old  and  New 
School),  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Catholic  churches — the 
latter  but  recently  established. 

Business  of  all  kinds  has  increased  more  rapidly  during 
the  past  year  than  ever  before. 

Two  private  schools  and  one  public  school  in  Fort  Des 
Moines ;  the  former  in  good  condition,  affording  a  respect- 
able academic  course  for  young  ladies  and  gentlemen.  A 
large  District  school-house,  on  the  "  Union"  plan,  is  in 
course  of  erection,  to  be  completed  this  fall,  costing  some 
$6000. 

The  Des  Moines  River  passes  diagonally  through  Polk 
County,  entering  at  the  north-west  and  passing  out  at  the 
south-east  corner.  Raccoon  River  empties  into  this  river 
at  Fort  Des  Moines.  Both  of  these  streams  afford  nume- 
rous sites  for  manufactories  and  mills.  There  are  several 
grist  and  saw-mills  in  the  county,  but  not  a  tithe  of  the 


168  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

number  that  are  needed.  Our  correspondent  writes :  "  We 
need  more  shops  of  all  descriptions,  and,  above  all,  manu- 
factories. We  want  flouring-mills  and  saw-mills — more  of 
them,  and  on  a  larger  scale.  We  want  brick-makers,  car- 
penters, cabinet-makers,  brick  and  stone  masons,  plasterers, 
and,  in  short,  mechanics  of  all  kinds.  We  want  water- 
wheels  and  steam-engines,  farmers,  machinists,  and  day- 
laborers." 

Polk  County,  as  well  as  those  adjoining,  and  those  far- 
ther north  and  west,  is  high,  rolling  prairie,  with  a  due 
proportion  of  timber,  and  is  well  watered  with  rivers  and 
creeks,  the  banks  of  which  abound  in  coal,  lime,  sand- 
stone, and  gypsum  in  great  quantities. 

The  last  session  of  the  Legislature  located  the  Capital 
of  the  State  at  Fort  Des  Moines,  since  which  time  that 
place  has  been  almost  besieged  by  lawyers,  doctors,  agents, 
and  land  speculators. 

Fort  Des  Moines  is  destined  to  be  one  of,  if  not  the, 
largest  interior  city  in  the  State.  The  Public  Buildings 
of  the  State  will  probably  soon  be  under  contract,  and  the 
Railroad  west  from  Iowa  City  is  daily  nearing  this  new 
capital.  We  anticipate  an  almost  unprecedented  advance 
in  the  wealth  and  population  of  Fort  Des  Moines  during 
the  present  year. 

POTTAWATAMIE  COUNTY. 
(See  Chapter  on  Western  Iowa  and  Nebraska.') 


DESCRIPTION    Or    COUNTIES.  169 

POWESHEIK  COUNTY 

Is  composed  principally  of  prairie  soil,  with  but  little 
timber  except  on  its  eastern,  western,  and  northern  borders. 
The  county  now  contains  a  population  of  3200.  The  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  Railroad  passes  through  the  centre 
of  the  county,  and  its  completion  will  add  much  to  the 
wealth,  size,  and  importance  of  every  town  on  the  line,  and 
to  the  county  at  large.  Grinnell  is  on  this  railroad,  and 
though  but  18  months  old,  contains  steam-mills  and  manu- 
factories, and  300  inhabitants.  The  "  People's  College" 
of  Iowa  is  located  here,  and  funds  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Trustees  for  the  erection  of  the  first  building  this  year. 
The  District  school-house  under  contract  here,  will  cost, 
completed,  $5000. 

RINGGOLD  COUNTY 

Is  situated  on  the  Missouri  State  line,  has  been  recently 
organized  and  contains  but  about  800  inhabitants.  The 
only  organized  town  in  the  county  is  Mount  Air,  the 
county-seat,  with  a  population  of  about  100  inhabitants. 
This  county  is  densely  timbered  in  some  portions,  and  well 
watered.  There  is  vacant  land  in  this  and  the  adjoining 
counties,  to  enter. 

SAC  COUNTY 

Is  an  excellent  county  of  land,  well  watered  by  the  Coon 
and  Boyer  Rivers,  and  their  tributaries.  New  Munich  is 
a  town  recently  laid  out  by  Thomas  Cavanaugh,  Esq.,  40 
miles  west  of  Fort  Dodge,  on  the  State  road.  This  is  a 
delightful  prairie  location,  adjoining  large  bodies  of  timber. 
15 


I 

170  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

A  steam  saw-mill  and  other  machinery  is  being  erected. 
This  will  be  the  county-seat.  Mechanics  and  farmers,  here 
is  an  open  field  for  you. 

SCOTT  COUNTY 

Is  situated  on  the  Mississippi  (which  bounds  it  on  the 
east  and  south),  and  is  the  lower  one  of  the  trio  which 
occupy  a  front  and  central  rank  among  the  counties  bor- 
dering on  the  river.  The  first  permanent  settlement  in 
the  county  was  made  by  Antoine  Le  Claire,  in  the  spring 
of  1833.  During  the  next  year  several  families  and  com- 
panies of  whites  crossed  over  as  "  squatters,"  settling  upon 
such  "claims"  as  might  suit  their  fancy.  Mr.  Le  Claire 
was  for  many  years  intimately  and  responsibly  identified 
with  our  government  in  its  intercourse  with  the  Indians 
of  the  north-west,  being  in  government  service,  as  inter- 
preter and  Indian  agent,  from  1813  to  1843  —  30  years; 
and  in  some  ten  or  twelve  important  treaties,  he  was  the 
principal  or  only  interpreter,  and  as  such  attended  the 
government  officers  on  the  occasion.  His  familiarity  with 
some  fourteen  Indian  dialects,  as  well  as  with  the  English 
and  French  languages,  and  his  being  the  great-grand-son 
of  a  chief,  and  his  wife  the  descendant  of  another,  gave 
him  an  influence  with,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  Indian 
tribes,  such  as  no  other  individual  of  his  day  possessed. 

The  marquee  of  Gen.  Scott,  in  which  was  held  the 
treaty  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  was  erected  upon  the 
identical  spot,  which  has,  since  1833,  been  occupied  by 
Mr.  Le  Claire  as  a  residence.  On  the  preceding  page  is 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

presented  a  view  of  the  Le  Claire  Homestead,  which  was 
occupied  as  a  residence  by  Mr.  Le  Claire  from  1833  to 
1854.  In  the  spring  of  1854  it  was  given  up  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  Railroad  Company,  as  a  location  for 
their  passenger  depot. 

At  the  period  of  the  treaty  made  by  Gen.  Scott,  the 
cholera  was  prevailing  among  the  soldiers  in  the  Fort,  and 
the  meeting,  instead  of  being  held  on  the  Island,  was,  from 
prudential  considerations,  transferred  to  the  main  shore, 
though  not  outside  of  the  range  of  the  guns  of  the  Fort. 
It  was  in  this  marquee  that  the  chief  of  the  Sacs  made  a 
present  of  a  mile  square  of  land  to  Mrs.  Le  Claire,  and, 
striking  his  foot  upon  the  turf,  told  Mr.  Le  Claire  that  the 
only  condition  he  asked  was  that  he  should  build  his  house 
upon  that  spot — a  condition  that  was  speedily  complied  with. 

The  treaty  was  held  in  the  fall  of  1832,  and  ratified  by 
Congress  the  following  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1833,  Mr. 
Le  Claire  erected  a  small  building,  or  "  shanty,"  in  the 
then  Fox  village,  "  Morgan,"  which  had  occupied  this 
ground  for  years  previous.  Of  the  tribe  having  this  as 
their  head-quarters,  Maquopom  was  the  head  warrior,  and 
Powesheik  head  chief.  In  the  fall  of  1834,  the  Sac  and 
Fox  Indians  left  here  for  the  Cedar  River.  In  the  spring 
of  1836  the  town  of  Davenport  was  laid  out  under  the 
supervision  of  Alexander  W.  McGregor,  Esq.,  one  of  the 
first  who  camped  and  cabined  here ;  and  whose  son,  now 
18  years  of  age,  is  the  oldest  native  of  Scott  County. 
Additions  have  recently  been  made  to  the  original  plat, 
until  the  present  city  limits  extend  3  miles  along  the  river, 
and  probably  two  in  width. 


172  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

Rock  Island  is  about  three  miles  in  length,  with  an  aver- 
age width  of  half  a  mile,  and  contains  therefore  nearly  one 
thousand  acres.  The  rapids  commence  some  twelve  miles 
above  it  and  terminate  at  its  foot.  Moline  and  the  city  of 
Rock  Island,  on  the  Illinois  shore,  are  opposite  its  extreme 
endings,  and  the  city  of  Davenport  and  East  Davenport 
occupy  nearly  the  same  relation  to  it  on  the  Iowa  side.  At 
the  foot  of  the  Island  stands  old  Fort  Armstrong,  built  in 
1816,  by  Col.  Mason,  U.  S.  A.  Half  a  mile  distant,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Island,  is  the  residence  of  the  late 
Col.  Davenport,  who  was  for  more  than  30  years  a  partner  in 
the  American  Fur  Company,  and  an  Indian  trader.  On  the 
4th  of  July,  1845,  a  band  of  robbers  entered  his  beautiful 
residence  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  the  absence  of  his 
family,  and  in  robbing  him  accidentally  shot  him ;  he  died 
the  same  night.  After  having  lived  a  frontier  life  for  so  many 
years,  and  having  passed  through  a  long  and  bloody  Indian 
war,  he  was  doomed  to  die  by  the  hands  of  desperadoes. 
All  the  murderers  were  taken ;  three  were  hung  at  Rock 
Island,  the  same  year — but  two  escaped,  and  are  yet  at 
large.  From  1837  to  '40,  and  up  to  '45,  Iowa  and  north- 
ern Illinois  were  infested  by  the  most  daring  set  of  outlaws 
that  have  ever  visited  the  western  world.  But  the  supre- 
macy of  the  laws  has  banished  them  from  our  midst,  and 
Iowa  is  again  comparatively  free  from  crime. 

The  Island  is  now  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  young 
timber,  of  every  variety,  that  flourishes  in  this  climate.  Forty 
years  ago,  Mr.  Le  Claire  states,  this  ground  was  covered 
by  a  very  dense  forest,  but  the  soldiers  stationed  in  the  Fort 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  173 

and  the  early  settlers  of  the  country,  destroyed  much  of  it 
for  fuel  and  other  purposes,  and  finally  fire  was  communi- 
cated to  the  bed  of  leaves  which  had  accumulated  there  for 
ages,  and  swept  the  Island  of  its  crowning  glory.  The  pre- 
sent growth  of  timber  dates  its  origin  subsequent  to  this  fire. 
"  The  Island,  with  the  exception  of  a  fractional  quarter 
section  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres,  which  was 
given  to  Col.  Davenport,  belongs  to  the  government.  The 
motives  which  led  to  withholding  it  from  sale,  so  long  as 
Fort  Armstrong  was  occupied,  and  there  remained  a  neces- 
sity of  keeping  an  armed  force  in  this  vicinity,  are  evident 
enough.  But  the  Fort  was  really  abandoned  in  1835,  and 
the  policy  which  has  induced  the  government  to  retain  its 
hold  upon  the  Island  since  that  period,  is  not  so  apparent. 
Numerous  efibrts  have  been  made  to  obtain  an  order  for  its 
sale,  and  it  is  to  be  feared,  in  too  many  instances,  with  the 
view  of  securing  the  possession  of  it  to  a  few  favored  indi- 
viduals. Twice  have  such  orders  been  issued  by  the  proper 
departments,  but  on  both  occasions  the  sale  was  not  per- 
mitted to  proceed.  Under  the  circumstances  it  was  well 
that  it  did  not.  This  magnificent  body  of  land,  lying  here 
in  the  midst  of  so  much  beauty,  and  surrounded  by  towns 
which  bid  fair  to  become  the  seat  of  an  immense  com- 
merce, should  not  be  permitted  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
mere  speculators.  But  the  Island  should  unquestionably 
pass  from  public  to  private  ownership.  As  it  is,  it  answers 
no  useful  end  to  the  government  or  to  individuals,  and  its 
being  retained  by  the  former  retards  in  many  ways  the 
prosperity  of  the  neighboring  towns  and  country." 
15* 


174  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

Since  the  completion  of  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island 
Railroad,  Davenport  has  moved  forward  with  rapid  strides ; 
and  the  extension  of  the  M.  &  M.  R.  R.  to  Iowa  City,  has 
made  this  place  an  important  commercial  point.  Along 
the  line  of  this  pioneer  Iowa  railroad,  villages  and  towns 
have  sprung  up  at  the  several  depot  stations,  each  forming 
a  nucleus  for  larger  towns,  and  an  outlet  for  the  products 
of  au  extensive  agricultural  district.  Of  these  we  can  give 
the  names  of  Wolcott,  Fulton,  Duvant,  Junction,  and  Mos- 
cow, on  the  Cedar  River. 

Le  Claire,  13  miles  above  Davenport,  is  a  thrifty  town 
of  1600  inhabitants.  Being  at  the  head  of  the  Upper  Ra- 
pids, this  place  possesses  an  advantage  over  points  below, 
as  a  lumber  mart,  and  renders  it,  during  the  season  of  low 
water,  a  re-shipping  point ;  goods  being  transported  by  wa- 
gons between  Davenport  and  Le  Claire,  around  the  Rapids. 

In  Davenport,  in  1854,  there  were  400  buildings  erected ; 
in  1855,  600,  of  a  better  class — larger  and  more  substan- 
tial; and  in  1860,  the  prospect  is  that  at  least  1000  more 
will  be  added  to  the  present  "  Bridge  City."  During  the 
past  two  years,  six  large  and  commodious  church  edifices 
have  been  erected  and  dedicated ;  mills,  manufactories,  and 
business  blocks  have  been  built  which  would  be  an  honor 
to  the  largest  commercial  cities. 

The  following  statistics  will  give  some  idea  of  the  busi- 
ness transacted : — exported  in  1855,  barley,  60,000  bus.  ; 
wheat,  364,000;  corn,  150,000;  oats,  12,000;  rye,  5,000; 
potatoes,  52,700 ;  onions,  16,500.  Hogs,  20,000.  This 
account  does  not  include  the  numerous  droves  of  hogs  and 


DESCRIPTION    Or    COUNTIES.  175 

cattle,  and  the  loads  of  grain  and  produce  that  daily  cross 
the  river,  and  are  sent  east  by  the  Rock  Island  Railroad. 
Beside  the  lumber  bought  from  rafts,  and  that  brought 
from  Chicago,  there  were  10,475,000  feet  sawed  and  sold 
from  the  mills  of  this  city.  Capital  invested  in  manufac- 
turing, $700,000 ;  in  trade  and  merchandise,  $1,000,000  j 
in  banking,  $397,000.  The  four  banking  houses,  beside 
their  land  business,  have  sold  of  exchange,  $2,650,000 ; 
discounted  and  loaned,  $1,240,000.  The  above  figures  ap- 
ply to  last  year,  1855. 

Of  churches  there  are  1  Episcopal,  1  Presbyterian,  (0. 
S.),  1  Congregational,  2  Baptist,  1  each,  Methodist,  Luthe- 
ran, and  Disciples,  and  2  Catholic  Churches,  and  16  cler- 
gymen. 

Of  educational  institutions,  the  Iowa  College,  (Congre- 
gational), the  Ladies'  College,  and  the  Public  School  edi- 
fices, are  each  (just  being  finished),  large  and  commodious 
buildings,  possessing  all  the  modern  improvements,  and  lo- 
cated upon  sites  commanding  most  extensive  and  pictu- 
resque landscape  views. 

We  have  devoted  more  space  to  the  description  of  Scott 
County,  the  Island,  &c.,  than  to  any  other  county  in  the 
State,  but  probably  no  more  than  they  deserve.  At  no 
point  in  the  whole  Mississippi  Valley  is  presented  a  more 
beautiful  location  for  a  city  than  here,  and  nowhere  else  in 
the  West  can  be  found  two  cities  of  the  size  of  Rock  Island 
and  Davenport,  opposite  each  other,  together  concentrating 
a  population  of  nearly  25,000  inhabitants; — individually 


176  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

cities  of  great  importance  to  the  West — together  forming 
one  of  the  most  attractive  points  on  the  Upper  Mississippi. 

The  purlieus  of  these  two  cities  have  also  been  the 
scenes  of  a  number  of  incidents,  which  tend  to  imbue  with 
a  deep  and  thrilling  interest,  the  early  history  of  Iowa. 
A  relation  of  these  would  occupy  a  greater  space  than  it  is 
in  our  power  at  present  to  devote  to  them ;  but  we  are  pre- 
paring to  compile  them,  together  with  an  accurate  and  com- 
pendious history  of  the  primitive  days  of  the  entire  State, 
for  publication  at  an  early  period. 

Since  our  chapter  on  Geology  was  completed,  and  in 
print,  an  extensive  bed  of  Cannelcoal  has  been  penetrated, 
in  Scott  County,  which  promises  to  be  of  great  value  to  its 
possessors.  The  area  underlaid  by  this  bank  embraces 
several  acres.  Specimens  of  this  coal  which  have  been 
furnished  us,  burn  well,  are  very  light  and  brittle,  and  sus- 
ceptible of  a  polish,  though  inferior  to  the  Cannel  coal  of 
Pennsylvania.  It  is  thought  by  colliers  that  the  better 
qualities  are  farther  in  the  banks.  In  our  next  edition  we 
shall  be  able  to  give  a  chemical  analysis  of  the  properties 
of  this  coal. 

SHELBY  COUNTY, 

Lying  north  of  Pottawattamie,  is  well  supplied  with 
water,  timber,  and  building  materials.  Most  of  the  land 
in  this  county,  and  in  those  adjoining  on  the  north  and 
east,  is  to  be  entered  at  $1.25  per  acre.  For  description 
of  soil  and  climate  see  chapter  on  "  Western  Iowa." 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  177 

STORY  COUNTY 

Is  a  good  body  of  prairie  land,  lying  north  of  Polk,  and 
between  Boone  and  Marshall.  Recently  organized  and 
sparsely  settled. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DESCRIPTION   OP  COUNTIES — CONCLUDED. 
TAMA  COUNTY. 

THE  county-seat  of  Tama  was  but  two  years  old  last  No- 
vember. In  February,  1856,  it  contained  200  inhabitants 
— the  county  upwards  of  500.  In  1850,  the  county  con- 
tained but  8  inhabitants — 5  males  and  3  females — some- 
thing of  an  increase  ! 

Hydraulic  privileges  excellent  in  the  county,  on  the 
Iowa  River — also,  an  abundance  of  water-power  on  Deer, 
Wolfe,  Honey,  and  Otter  Creeks.  We  have  4  saw-mills — 
2  water,  2  steam.  One  flouring-mill,  with  two  runs  of 
stones. 

Excellent  opening  for  lumber,  flour,  or  woollen  manu- 
factories, at  Toledo  and  Indiantown. 

Tama  County  is  of  rich,  alluvial  soil.  The  prairie  and 
timber  lands  are  exceedingly  well  proportioned  to  each 
other.  Both  upland  and  river-bottom  timber  in  abundance 
for  all  the  wants  of  the  county,  for  fencing,  building,  and 


178  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

purposes  of  fuel.  It  is  confidently  asserted  that  there  is  an 
abundance  of  coal  in  the  county,  but  no  banks  have  as  yet 
been  opened. 

The  face  of  the  county  is  greatly  undulating,  with  a 
good  proportion  of  river  bottom,  two  to  four  miles  in  width 
— well  watered.  The  soil  yields  wheat,  hemp,  oats,  corn, 
rye,  barley,  beans,  peas,  potatoes,  and  tobacco,  each  in 
great  abundance;  and  with  but  little  care  as  to  culture. 
Native  fruits  grow  in  great  variety,  such  as  the  grape,  crab- 
apple,  plum,  gooseberry,  strawberry,  and  raspberry,  each 
growing  in  abundance.* 

Indiantown  contains  a  population  of  200  inhabitants, 
and  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  growth  and  prosperity  of 
the  place  has  been  much  retarded  by  the  scarcity  of  lum- 
ber, although  one  of  the  most  extensive  bodies  of  timber 
in  the  State  adjoins  the  town  on  the  north,  and  the  water- 
power  afforded  by  the  Iowa,  at  this  point,  is  unsurpassed 
in  this  section.  Those  who  contemplate  establishing  grist 
or  saw-mills,  will  do  well  to  investigate  the  claims  and 
wants  of  this  point.  The  land  is  principally  owned  by  ac- 
tual settlers,  who  support  churches  and  schools,  build 
bridges  and  make  good  roads. 

VAN  BUREN  COUNTY. 

The  earliest  settlements  in  this  county  were  begun  in 
1834-5.  Keosauqua,  the  county-seat,  was  laid  out  and 
settled  in  1837.  The  proprietors  were  Messrs.  James 

*  All  that  is  said  of  the  productions  of  the  soil  of  Tama,  will  ap- 
ply to  most  counties  of  the  State. — ED. 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  1- 9 

Hall,  John  Fairman,  John  Cams,  M.  Sigler,  and  E.  Man- 
ning. 

The  population  of  Keosauqua  is  about  1500;  of  the 
county,  by  last  census,  13,843. 

There  are  two  thriving  churches,  Congregationalist  and 
Methodist,  and  several  other  religious  societies. 

There  is  one  newspaper,  the  "  Democratic  Union,"  pub- 
lished in  Keosauqua.  No  other  in  the  county. 

One  public  school,  having  from  100  to  120  scholars 
in  attendance.  There  are  also  one  private  school  for 
young  ladies,  and  two  high  schools,  all  well  patronized  and 
supported ;  in  addition  to  which,  the  citizens  of  Keosauqua 
contemplate  the  building  of  a  seminary  during  the  present 
year. 

There  are  three  grist-mills  in  the  town  and  vicinity,  (one 
water-power  and  two  steam,)  and  also  two  saw-mills.  The 
water-power  that  is  now  about  to  be  furnished,  by  the  com- 
pletion of  the  lock  and  dam  at  this  place,  will  not  be  sur- 
passed in  the  State. 

A  woollen  manufactory,  paper  mill,  and  manufactories 
of  shingles,  plows,  wagons,  and  agricultural  implements, 
and  also  a  good  merchant  flouring-mill,  are  very  much 
needed.  The  inducements  are  readily  seen  and  understood 
by  practical  men. 

The  character  of  the  country  may  be  described  as  being 
well  divided  between  prairie  and  timber.  There  is  a  large 
supply  of  good  timber  along  the  Des  Moines  River,  on  both 
sides.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  produces  all  the  crops  con- 
genial to  the  climate,  in  the  greatest  abundance. 


180  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

The  Des  Moines  improvement,  when  finished,  will  afford 
an  uninterrupted  navigation  to  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans] 
and  at  present,  even  without  the  improvement,  we  have 
steamboat  navigation  from  two  to  four  months,  during  the 
spring  and  summer. 

Bentonsport  contains  about  600  inhabitants,  supports  2 
schools  and  2  churches ;  and  has  in  operation  2  saw-mills, 
.2  lath  mills,  1  flouring  mill,  1  paper  mill,  1  linseed  oil 
mill,  and  1  establishment  for  manufacturing  all  kinds  of 
farming  implements.  Mechanics  of  all  kinds  are  needed. 
Farmington,  Bonaparte,  Vernon,  Pleasant  Hill,  Philadel- 
phia, Portland,  New  Market  and  lowaville,  are  each  pros- 
perous towns,  and  are  becoming  points  of  importance. 

Bonaparte  also  contains  a  good  flouring-mill,  two  saw- 
mills, and  an  extensive  brick  woollen -factory. 

Farmington,  below  Bonaparte,  is  also  a  consfderable 
town,  and  contains  nearly  1000  inhabitants,  two  or  three 
grist  and  saw-mills,  one  foundry,  and  one  engine  establish- 
ment. There  are  also  several  smaller  towns  in  the  county, 
off  from  the  river,  some  of  which  are  prominent,  and 
rapidly  improving. 

•*'+• 
WAPELLO  COUNTY 

Was  opened  to  settlement  on  the  1st  of  May,  1843,  and 
organized  in  April,  1844.  It  is  claimed  by  residents  to  bo 
one  of  the  best  tracts  of  land  in  the  State.  The  Dea 
Moines  River  passes  diagonally  through  the  county.  The 
water-power,  as  furnished  by  that  river  and  Cedar  Creek, 
is  abundant,  the  banks  of  the  streams  also  being  rich  in 
limestone  of  the  best  quality,  and  excellent  sand,  which, 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  181 

together  with  the  extensive  tracts  of  timber,  render  it  one 
of  the  most  desirable  counties  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 
The  population  of  Wapello  was  8,466,  since  which  time  the 
county  has  settled  more  rapidly  than  at  any  previous  period. 
The  number  of  votes  polled  at  the  general  election  in  1854 
was  1502. 

Ottumwa,  the  county-seat,  is  situated  at  what  are  called 
the  Appanoose  Rapids,  on  the  Des  Moines  River,  distant 
twenty-five  miles  from  Fairfield,  and  seven  from  Agency 
City,  (the  old  Sac  and  Fox  Agency). 

Respecting  the  Rapids  at  this  place,  Mr.  Newhall  writes : 
"In  August,  1845,  a  survey  of  the  Appanoose  Rapids  at 
this  place  was  made  by  David  Armstrong,  Esq.,  when  it 
was  ascertained  that  there  passed  at  the  Rapids,  every 
minute,  42,000  cubic  feet  of  water  ;  a  sufficient  quantity  to 
fill  a  lock  42  feet  wide,  and  150  feet  long;  being  enough  to 
run  28  pair  of  burrs,  4  feet  in  diameter,  under  a  head  of  6 
feet  water.  There  is  a  fall  of  4  feet  at  these  Rapids,  in  one 
mile;  and  a  dam,  5  feet  high,  would  give  6  feet  10  inches 
rise  and  fall." 

Several  mills  and  other  manufactories  have  already  been 
erected  at  Ottumwa,  which  place  will  become  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  cities  in  the  interior  of  the  State,  when 
her  water-power  and  other  capabilities  are  fairly  deve- 
loped. 

Agency  City  is  situated  some  seven  miles  from  the  centre 

of  the   county,   and   in   beauty  of    locality,  and   natural 

scenery,  will   compare   favorably  with   any  point   in   the 

interior.     The  late   Indian  Agencj  was   here  located   by 

16 


182  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

Gen.  Street,  who  considered  it  a  favorable  situation  in  all 
respects. 

Eddyville  is  situated  on  the  Des  Moines  River,  in  the 
extreme  north-west  corner  of  the  county,  upon  the  site  of 
an  old  Indian  trading-post.  The  society  in  Eddysville  is 
as  good  as  in  any  place  of  its  size  in  the  State.  Churches 
and  schools  are  well  supported,  and  the  edifices  and  build- 
ings are  of  a  size  and  character  that  would  do  honor  to  places 
of  greater  pretensions. 

WAYNE  COUNTY 

Was  organized  in  1851,  —  the  first  settlements  were 
made  in  1848.  Corydon,  the  county-seat,  was  located  in 
1852.  This  section  is  very  sparsely  settled,  there  being 
but  about  500  voters  in  the  county,  and  less  than  100  citi- 
zens in  Corydon. 

Several  churches  are  scattered  over  the  county :  Presby- 
terian, Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Campbellite  denominations — 
two  of  them  Methodist  —  making  a  total  of  five. 

The  county  is  well  supplied  with  schools.  No  news- 
papers. 

With  an  abundance  of  excellent  water-power,  Wayne 
County  invites  machinists,  capitalists,  and  manufacturers. 
No  machinery  in  the  county.  Timber  is  not  so  plenty  as 
in  some  other  counties,  but  the  quality  of  the  land  is  second 
to  none.  Considerable  land  unentered. 

WEBSTER  COUNTY. 

This  is  the  largest  county  in  the  State,  containing 
921,600  acres  of  land,  comprising  what  was  formely  known 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  183 

as  Yell,  Risley,  and  the  south  half  of  Humboldt.  The 
present  population  of  the  county  is  between  three  and  four 
thousand.  The  soil  is  equal  in  richness  to  that  of  any 
county  in  the  State — deep  and  easily  worked :  in  the  latter 
respect,  superior  to  the  soil  of  the  southern  and  middle 
counties.  The  surface  is  gently  undulating  and  in  no  part 
broken.  The  Des  Moines  River,  with  its  branches,  the 
Boone,  Lizara,  East  and  West  Forks  of  the  Des  Moines, 
White  Fox,  and  Eagle,  with  their  tributaries,  pass  through 
the  county  in  every  direction,  affording  an  abundant  supply 
of  water  for  farm  use,  and  water-power  unsurpassed  in  the 
State.  There  is  a  sufficiency  of  timber  on  all  these  streams. 
Coal  is  abundant  on  the  Des  Moines  and  Boone  rivers,  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Dodge  some  of  the  finest  beds  in 
the  State  are  found.  Also  gypsum  beds  (covering  a  space 
of  about  sixteen  square  miles),  commencing  about  one  mile 
north  of  Fort  Dodge,  and  extending  about  seven  miles 
south  on  the  river)  are  found.  These  beds  are  inexhausti- 
ble and  of  the  finest  quality.  Iron  ore,  lime-stone  of  the 
best  quality  for  lime,  and  building  sandstone,  hydraulic 
limestone,  clays,  from  the  coarse  material  for  brick  to  the 
fine  potter's  clay  (said  by  competent  judges  to  be  of  the 
best  variety),  abound.  Also  varieties  of  ochre,  both  yel- 
low and  red ;  springs  of  as  clear,  pure  water  as  flow  from 
the  rocky  beds  of  Maine  are  abundant.  Improvements  are 
going  on  rapidly.  There  are  already  six  water  saw-mills, 
three  steam  saw-mills,  and  one  grist-mill  in  the  county,  and 
three  grist-mills  and  two  saw-mills  contracted  to  be  built 
the  coming  season.  Fort  Dodge,  Webster  City,  and  Hcmer, 
are  the  principal  towns  in  the  county.  At  Fort  Dodge  the 


184  DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 

Land  office  is  located.  There  are  no  church  buildings 
yet  erected.  In  Fort  Dodge  a  literary  association  is  incor- 
porated, with  a  small  library,  and  a  fund  of  about  $300. 
A  lot  has  been  donated  by  the  proprietors  of  the  town, 
upon  which  it  is  the  intention  of  the  association  to  build  in 
a  short  time. 

Webster  City  (originally  called  New  Castle),  is  situated 
22  miles  east  of  Fort  Dodge,  on  the  Dubuque  road,  has  a 
saw-mill,  lath-machine,  and  other  machinery  in  operation. 
This  being  one  of  the  most  fertile  regions  in  the  State, 
with  an  abundance  of  water-power,  and  well-timbered,  an 
extensive  manufactory  of  agricultural  implements  would  do 
well  here.  The  present  population  of  the  town  is  200. 

Homer,  the  county  seat,  is  situated  19  miles  south-east 
of  Ft.  Dodge,  on  the  Ft.  Des  Moines  road.  Population  300. 

Border  Plains,  10  miles  south  of  Fort  Dodge.  Hurn- 
boldt,  13  miles  north  of  Fort  Dodge,  in  the  forks  of  tho 
East  and  West  branches  of  the  Des  Moines  River. 

Dahkotah  is  situated  16  miles  north  of  Fort  Dodge,  and 
3  miles  north  of  Huiqfroldt. 

WINNEBAGO  AND  WORTH  COUNTIES 

Are  situated  west  of  Mitchell  and  east  of  Kossuth,  in 
the  northern  tier  of  counties.  Most  of  the  land  in  these 
counties  is  unentered ;  and  no  towns  have  yet  been  located 
in  either  of  them. 

WINNESHEIK  COUNTY 

Is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Minnesota,  on  the  east  by 
Alamakee  County,  on  the  south  by  Fayette,  and  on  the 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  185 

west  by  Chickasaw  and  Howard  Counties.  It  was  occu- 
pied by  Winnebago  Indians  until  the  year  1848,  when  they 
were  removed  by  Government.  Previous  to  that  time 
there  were  no  settlers  in  the  county.  Fort  Atkinson  was 
built  about  the  year  1843,  for  the  protection  of  the  settle- 
ments against  the  incursions  of  the  Indians. 

The  Old  Mission,  as  it  is  familiarly  called,  was  formerly 
a  missionary-station,  under  the  patronage  of  Government. 
Both  the  Fort  and  Mission  have  been  abandoned,  and, 
although  in  the  charge  of  keepers,  are  rapidly  going  to 
decay.  The  land  about  both,  comprising  5£  square  miles, 
is  still  reserved  from  sale,  and  is  exceedingly  fertile. 

Among  the  first  settlers  may  be  mentioned  Francis 
Rogers,  David  Reed,  George  Ream,  William  Day,  and  "Wm. 
Painter.  The  first  settlement  was  made  soon  after  the 
removal  of  the  Indians  in  1848.  The  population  of  the 
county  is  estimated  at  about  5000. 

The  climate  of  Winnesheik  County  resembles  that  of  New 
York  City,  although  the  winters  are  much  shorter,  and  the 
autumns  very  long,  mild,  and  beautiful.  The  spring  gene- 
rally opens  about  the  15th  of  March.  The  summer  is  never 
excessively  warm,  except  where  the  wind  is  shut  out  by  the 
bluffs  or  timber. 

In  soil,  this  county  is  not  excelled.  It  is  a  rich  black 
loam,  and  has  a  depth  of  from  one  to  six  feet.  It  has  a 
very  slight  mixture  of  sand.  Of  course,  the  deepest  soil  is 
to  be  found  upon  the  bottoms.  The  county  is  well  tim- 
bered ;  about  one-fourth  of  it  is  heavily  timbered,  one-third 
16* 


186  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

is  prairie,  and  the  balance  is  burr-oak  openings,  affording 
plenty  of  firewood  and  rails. 

The  county  is  well  watered  by  the  Upper  Iowa,  Turkey, 
and  Canoe  Rivers,  and  numerous  smaller  streams.  The 
Upper  Iowa  is  a  beautiful  stream,  with  rock  and  gravel 
bed,  good  banks,  swift  current,  and  pure  water.  The 
Turkey  River,  which  runs  through  the  south-west  part  of 
the  county,  is  also  a  beautiful  stream.  The  Canoe,  which 
is  a  branch  of  the  Iowa  River,  is  a  fine  stream,  somewhat 
smaller  than  the  other  two,  but  all  of  them  afford  abundance 
of  mill-power. 

Trout  Creek  is  worthy  of  note.  This  stream,  which  is  in 
size  about  one-third  as  large  as  the  Upper  Iowa,  breaks 
forth  in  one  large  spring  from  the  foot  of  a  perpendicular 
bluff,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  its  mouth.  It 
abounds  in  speckled  trout,  and  is  a  favorite  resort  for 
sportsmen.  It  rises  about  two  and  a  half  miles  south  from 
Decorah,  and  empties  into  the  Upper  Iowa  River  two  miles 
south-east  from  that  town,  at  the  southernmost  bend  of  the 
river. 

In  general,  the  surface  of  the  country  is  gently  rolling ; 
near  the  large  streams  it  is  bluffy,  but  the  high  lands  are 
easily  accessible  by  means  of  the  many  ravines  running  in 
all  directions.  The  prairies  are  small,  well  watered,  and 
agreeably  diversified  with  groves  and  thickets.  Washing- 
ton, Franklin,  and  Looking-Glass  Prairies  are  noted  for 
their  excellent  adaptation  to  farming  purposes. 

This  county  cannot  be  excelled  for  stock  raising.    Sheep 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  187 

do  remarkably  well ;  already  there  are  many  flocks  of  fine 
blooded  ones  in  the  county. 

The  prevailing  rock  is  lime-stone,  which,  near  the  sur- 
face, is  soft  and  shelly,  but  below  it  is  hard  and  solid.  It 
is  always  found  in  layers  of  a  good  thickness  for  building 
purposes. 

Coal  is  said  to  have  been  found  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county. 

There  are  a  number  of  religious  societies  formed  in  the 
county,  among  which  are  Congregationalists,  Presbyterians, 
Methodists,  Quakers,  and  Lutherans. 

There  are  a  number  of  saw-mills,  and,  although  on  a 
small  scale,  they  do  a  good  business.  The  Decorah  saw- 
mill has  one  saw  which  cuts  3000  feet  of  lumber  in  twenty- 
four  hours. 

There  are  also  a  number  of  grist-mills  in  the  county, 
doing  a  thriving  business.  Decorah  grist-mill  has  two  run 
of  stones,  which  grind  680  bushels  of  wheat  in  twenty-four 
hours. 

Dunning's  grist-mill,  near  Decorah,  is  situated  under  a 
large  spring,  with  fifty  feet  fall  of  water. 

An  extensive  plow  factory  has  recently  been  erected  in 
Decorah. 

The  manufactories  most  needed  at  present  are :  woollen 
factories,  chair  factories,  sash  and  door  factories,  grist-mills, 
lath-mills,  iron  foundries,  and  factories  for  the  manufacture 
of  agricultural  implements.  The  inducements  for  their 
erection  are  the  abundance  of  water-power  and  materials, 
and  the  great  demand  for  their  products. 


188 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 


Farmers  are  much  needed  —  the  inducements  for  them 
being  plenty  of  vacant  land  and  excellent  markets. 

Mechanics  are  very  much  needed,  especially  carpenters, 
masons,  millwrights,  coopers,  saddlers,  watchmakers,  tinners, 
cabinet-makers,  and  painters.  The  inducements  for  them 
are  plenty  of  work  and  good  pay. 

Decorah  was  first  settled  in  the  spring  of  1849,  by  Win. 
Day,  who  was  followed  in  June  by  Wm.  Painter.  These 
men  for  some  time  were  obliged  to  grind  their  own  flour  in  a 
coffee-mill,  and  bolt  it  through  a  sieve.  They  lived  compa- 
paratively  alone  until  the  year  1851,  when  the  first  saw-mill 
and  store  were  commenced.  The  same  year  a  survey  was 
made  of  a  few  lots,  and  the  place  was  called  Decorah,  after 
a  celebrated  Winnebago  chief,  whose  grave  is  still  to  be 
seen  at  the  foot  of  the  beautiful  eminence  upon  which  the 
public  buildings  of  the  county  are  about  to  be  erected.  The 
town  was  re-surveyed,  enlarged,  and  recorded  in  1853, 
since  which  it  has  rapidly  improved,  and  now  contains  about 
800  inhabitants.  It  commands  an  extensive  trade  with 
Winnesheik,  Howard,  and  Mitchell  Counties,  and  also  with 
a  large  portion  of  Minnesota.  The  business  of  the  place 
for  the  past  year  is  estimated  at  $80,000. 

During  the  last  year  Decorah  has  amazingly  increased  in 
size,  population,  and  enterprise.  The  location  of  the  United 
States  Land  Office  at  this  place,  during  the  past  season, 
has  brought  in  many  energetic  business,  and  wealthy  men, 
and  has  given  the  place  a  start  which  places  it  in  the  fore- 
most rank  among  the  towns  of  Iowa.  The  society  for  the 
most  part  is  made  up  of  Eastern  people  ;  and  strangers  in 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  189 

search  of  elevated,  polite,  and  refined  society,  can  find  it 
here.  The  Decorah  common  school,  numbering  175  scholars, 
and  the  Decorah  High  School,  are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

Steps  are  being  taken  for  the  immediate  erection  of  the 
county  buildings,  and  two  churches  (Methodist  and  Con- 
gregational). Building  is  constantly  going  on ;  midwinter 
does  not  stop  it,  and  workmen  can  hardly  spare  time  to  eat 
their  meals  or  take  their  nightly  rest. 

The  "Decorah  Weekly  Chronicle"  commenced  opera- 
tions last  fall,  and  is  very  well  sustained. 

Daily  four-horse  coaches  connect  Decorah  with  Du- 
buque,  St.  Paul,  Brownsville,  Lansing,  McGregor,  Clay- 
ton, Garnavillo,  Guttenburg,  Elkader,  and  West  Union, 
giving  the  place  daily  mails  in  every  direction.  The 
Prairie  Du  Chien  and  Maukato  Air  Line  Railroad  will  pass 
through  Decorah,  and  no  doubt  is  entertained  that  it  will 
be  built  at  an  early  day.  Decorah  has  14  or  15  stores, 
dealing  in  the  usual  variety  of  merchandise,  and  yet  there 
is  plenty  of  room  for  more.  Two  first  class  Lawyers  are 
wanted,  and  none  need  apply  but  those  who  can  repeat  40 
pages  of  Kent,  one  volume  of  Blackstone,  and  every  word 
of  the  "  American  Lawyer  and  Form  Book."  Decorah  is 
supplied  with  Brokers  and  Land  Agents  too  numerous  to 
mention. 

Of  manufactories,  Decorah  has  in  operation  a  steam  saw- 
mill, plow  factory,  fanning-mill,  and  machine  shop;  one 
saw  and  two  grist  mills  running  by  water;  one  wagon- 
shop,  cabinet-shops,  tin-shop  —  also  blacksmiths,  shoe- 
makers, saddlers,  tailors,  milliners,  &c. 


190 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES. 


Freeport,      200  inhabitants,  1  school,  saw  and  grist  mill,  &c. 

Frankville,  150 

1 

steam  saw  mill. 

Bluffton,         75 

1 

saw  and  grist  mill. 

Cliffton,          50 

1 

saw  mill. 

Burr  Oak,      75 

1 

Moneek,       100 

1 

saw  mill. 

Calmar,           50 

Hooper,          50 

steam  saw  mill. 

Enterprise,     30 

saw  mill. 

Ossian,           30 

(For  particulars  respecting  railroads  projected  through 
this  country,  and  the  most  feasible  routes,  as  well  as  the 
locations  of  streams  and  minerals,  reference  is  made  to 
"  Parker's  Sectional  and  Geological  Map  of  Iowa.") 

WOODBURY  COUNTY 

Is  situated  on  the  Missouri  River,  due  west  from  Du- 
buque  County.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  the 
county  in  1853.  This  county  embraces  twenty-four  whole 
townships  and  three  fractional  townships. 

Sergeant's  Bluff  City  is  the  largest  in  the  county,  and 
the  most  pleasantly  situated  town  on  the  Upper  Missouri, 
located  on  Sec.  25,  T.  88,  N.  Range  48,  West.  The  Bluff 
from  which  this  town  derives  its  name,  is  3  miles  above, 
on  the  river,  where  Sergeant  Floyd  was  interred,  August 
20,  1804,  by  his  companions  Lewis  and  Clarke,  while  on 
their  expedition  to  Oregon.  Some  of  the  advantages 
claimed  for  this  point,  over  others  in  this  section  of  country, 
are  these : 

1.  The  beauty  and  healthfulness  of  the  location,  and  the 


DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES.  191 

good  taste  and  liberality  exhibited  in  the  plan  of  the 
town.  It  is  divided  into  wards  1300  feet  square,  by  streets 
100  feet  wide,  crossing  each  other  at  right-angles;  these 
wards  are  divided  into  blocks  by  streets  80  feet  wide,  run- 
ning parallel  with  the  100  feet  streets.  At  the  crossing 
of  the  100  feet  streets  there  are  4  lots  thrown  off,  forming 
market  squares.  In  the  centre  of  each  ward  is  a  park  280 
feet  wide  by  400  feet  long — making,  in  the  area  of  600 
acres,  8  of  those  parks,  and  15  market  squares,  besides  a 
suitable  levee.  The  blocks  are  usually  divided  into  12  lots, 
66  by  132  feet  each. 

2.  It  is  the  natural  outlet  of  the  finest  portion  of  the 
Missouri  valley,  and  the  only  crossing  for  the  railroads 
projected  west  from  Dubuque  and  Clinton,  via  Fort  Dodge. 
Dahkotah,  a  pleasantly  situated  town,  lies  just  opposite  in 
Nebraska,  and  is  the  "northern  gate"  of  the  Territory. 
This  is  also  the  most  feasible  point  for  the  St.  Paul  rail- 
road to  strike  the  Missouri,  and  follow  down  this  valley  to 
St.  Joseph's,  Mo.,  and  to  these  considerations,  add  the  fact 
that  this  town  holds  the  only  Ferry  Charter  to  cross  the  Mis- 
souri River,  for  five  miles  south,  and  twenty  miles  north, 
and  you  will  anticipate  its  future. 

3.  There  is  in  the  vicinity  of  this  town  an  abundance 
of  building  stone,  and  clay  and  sand  for  making  brick; 
large  tracts  of  timber  land,   and  a  steam  saw-mill  and 
shingle  machine,  are  also  in  and  adjoining  the  town  ;  which 
are  advantages  of  importance  to  those  wishing  to  locate 
and  build. 


192  DESCRIPTION    OP    COUNTIES. 

4.  The  proprietors  propose  to  donate  building  lots  and 
furnish  a  portion  of  the  building  materials  to  actual  settlers 
who  will  locate  and  build  the  present  spring.  They  have 
also  made  liberal  donations  of  grounds  for  the  erection  of 
buildings  for  the  North-Western  College  of  Iowa,  for  the 
erection  of  a  Congregational  and  a  Methodist  church,  and 
for  a  Female  Academy ;  and  one  large  park,  each,  to  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  Masonic  Orders — both  of  these  parks  to 
be  built  upon  and  ornamented  with  trees  and  shrubbery. 

Sioux  City,  is  situated  7  miles  north  of  Sergeant's  Bluff 
City,  and  is  the  present  location  of  the  United  States  Land 
Office  of  the  Sioux  River  District.  The  greater  portion  of 
the  land  in  this  district  is  not  yet  in  market. 

Improved  lands  can  be  had  in  Woodbury  County  at  fair 
prices,  and  unbroken  prairie  at  government  price.  The  pro- 
prietors of  these  rival  towns  offer  great  inducements  to  me- 
chanics, farmers  and  capitalists  to  locate  with  them.  "  Profes- 
sional gentlemen  need  no  invitation,  they  come  West  without 
inducement,"  says  a  correspondent  in  a  thrifty  western  inland 
town.  Mechanics'  wages  are  high  and  work  plenty.  (Par- 
ticulars may  be  learned  of  this  section  of  the  State,  and 
vacant  lands  located,  by  addressing  N.  H.  Parker,  at  Clin- 
ton, Iowa,  or  Parker  and  Crocknell,  Sergeant's  Bluff  City, 
or  Parker  and  Davis,  Sioux  City.) 

WRIGHT  COUNTY. 

Excellent  soil,  same  character  as  Webster  County.  Con- 
tains about  three  or  four  hundred  inhabitants — was  organ- 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTIES.  193 

ized  at  the  last  August  election.  Otsego  is  the  county-seat. 
The  timber  is  of  good  quality,  and  well  distributed  along 
the  Boone  and  Iowa  rivers.  These  two  rivers,  with  their 
tributaries,  afford  an  abundance  of  water  and  water-powers. 
There  are  two  saw-mills  in  the  county,  and  improvements 
are  going  on  rapidly.  Stone  coal  has  been  found  on  the 
Boone  Kiver,  but  to  what  extent  cannot  yet  be  determined. 
The  surface  of  the  county  is  gently  undulating. 


17 


194        WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

WESTERN     IOWA    AND     NEBRASKA. 

[WE  are  indebted  to  the  editor  of  the  "  Council  Bluffs 
Eagle"  for  most  of  the  matter  under  this  head.  The  read- 
er will  therefore  understand  which  portions  of  the  articles 
refer  to  Pottawattamie  County,  in  particular.] 

Geography. — That  portion  of  Western  Iowa  lying  west 
of  the  Des  Moines  River,  is  the  most  rolling,  uneven  and 
picturesque,  of  the  choice  lands,  in  the  United  States.  Al- 
though this  region  is  almost  entirely  composed  of  hills, 
swells,  ridges,  valleys,  and  bottom  lands,  thrown  together 
in  the  most  grand  and  poetic  manner,  there  is  scarcely  an 
acre  of  waste  land  in  the  whole  region;  even  the  highest 
points  and  peaks  abound  with  luxurious  grass  and  vegeta- 
tion, or  timber  and  copsewood,  whilst  the  slopes,  valleys, 
and  bottom  lands,  together  with  the  upland  prairies,  are 
the  most  rich  and  fertile  ever  inhabited. 

The  soil  is  a  rich,  black,  light,  sandy  loam,  extremely 
easy  of  cultivation,  and  of  a  depth  of  from  one  to  ten  feet. 
Although  the  soil  is  naturally  extremely  light  and  loose,  it 
resists  to  a  wonderful  degree  the  evil  effects  of  drought 
upon  vegetation.  In  1854,  when  the  countries  east  and 
south  were  parched,  and  crops  destroyed  for  want  of  rain, 


WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA.        195 

ours  were  remarkably  heavy,  and  seemed  uninjured,  al- 
though we  had  little  or  no  more  rain  than  our  neighbours. 

Timber. — There  are  heavy  bodies  of  hard  wood  timber 
on  the  margin  of,  and  adjacent  to,  the  Des  Moines  River, 
and  a  reasonable  quantity  interspersed  through  the  counties 
northwest ;  yet  upon  the  route  directly  west  to  this  place, 
timber  is  extremely  scarce  for  an  hundred  miles,  being 
found  only  in  detached  groves  upon  streams :  but  as  one  ap- 
proaches the  elope  of  the  Missouri  River,  the  groves  and 
clusters  of  timber  become  more  frequent,  and  in  this  imme- 
diate vicinity  there  is  sufficient  for  all  reasonable  demands. 
In  several  of  the  counties  north,  timber  is  still  more  abun- 
dant, and  in  Shelby  County  there  is  one  grove  alone  that 
contains  nearly  thirty  square  miles  of  good  timber.  Through 
this  region  generally,  there  are  an  abundance  of  young 
groves  of  timber,  which,  if  the  fires  do  not  destroy  it,  will 
increase  quite  as  fast  as  the  older  and  more  mature  portions 
are  used  up.  The  most  valuable  varieties  are  oak,  (three 
or  four  varieties),  black  walnut,  hickory,  linn,  elm,  cotton- 
wood,  hackberry,  black  locust,  and  coffee  bean. 

Upon  the  bottom  lands,  the  cottonwood,  black  walnut, 
and  elm  are  found,  and  in  the  higher  lands,  the  other 
varieties. 

Minerals. — There  is  no  doubt  but  that  an  abundance  of 
coal  exists  in  this  region ;  few  beds  have,  however,  yet 
been  opened,  but  those  prove  to  be  of  an  excellent  quality. 
There  are  fine  quarries  of  lime-rock,  sand  and  slate-stone. 

Climate. — Our  climate  is  similar  to  that  of  Northern 
Ohio,  but  we  have  less  snow  and  probably  a  little  more 


196       WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA. 

wind.  It  produces  about  the  same  varieties  of  crops,  fruits, 
and  vegetables.  The  roads  are  extremely  hard  and  smooth 
during  all  the  year,  except  the  season  of  Spring.  The 
evening  twilights  are  long,  soft  and  pleasant,  in  the  Sum- 
mer season,  usually  continuing  for  nearly  two  hours  after 
sunset.  The  evenings,  even  after  the  hottest  days,  are 
usually  cool  and  pleasant.  A  refreshing  breeze  is  almost 
constantly  blowing  from  off  the  prairies. 

Wild  Fruits  and  Vegetation. — The  wild  prairies  are  co- 
vered with  a  rich,  luxurious  growth  of  grass,  varying  in 
height  from  twenty  inches  to  five  feet,  which  makes  the 
finest  of  grazing,  or  hay,  and  which  only  requires  cutting  and 
stacking,  not  being  as  liable  to  injury  as  the  tame  grasses. 
For  late  feed,  the  pea-vines  and  rushes  in  the  low  lands, 
make  feed  that  frequently  will  keep  stock  in  good  order  all 
winter.  There  are  various  bulbous  roots  that  grow  wild, 
such  as  in  years  past  the  Indians  have  gathered  for  food. 
Among  the  best  is  the  wild  potatoe,  the  bean,  and. arti- 
choke. Hogs  eat  these  voraciously.  Among  the  best  of  our 
wild  fruits  may  be  reckoned  plums,  gooseberries,  straw- 
berries, raspberries.  There  are  crab  apples,  and  haws, 
which  grow  in  abundance,  and  the  finest  we  ever  saw. 
Grapes  are  of  spontaneous  growth,  and  are  also  fine.  The 
plums  are  almost  as  fine  as  the  cultivated  varieties — large, 
delicious  and  abundant.  Strawberries  grow  around  the 
edges  of  timber  and  brushwood,  and  in  the  bottoms,  along 
the  streams. 

Productions.  —  Corn   produces   heavily   and   naturally, 
yielding  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  bushels  to  the  acre,  with 


WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA.        197 

little  trouble.  Winter  wheat  is  not  a  certain  crop,  on  ac- 
count of  there  being  so  little  snow  throughout  the  winter. 
Spring  wheat  produces  heavily,  and  of  an  excellent  quality. 
Oats  yield  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  bushels  per  acre.  Rye, 
barley,  buckwheat,  potatoes,  turnips,  melons,  and  other 
vegetables  and  grains  do  well.  There  are  few  or  no  or- 
chards in  this  region,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  most  of  the 
cultivated  varieties  of  fruit  will  succeed  and  do  well  here. 

Game,  &c. — Elk  and  deer  are  abundant  in  the  counties 
north,  and  even  near  here  they  may  be  seen  every  day ;  there 
are  also  abundance  of  fowls;  swan,  geese,  pelicans,  tur- 
keys, ducks,  prairie  chickens,  and  quails,  abound  in  their 
peculiar  localities,  and  fish,  of  the  choicest  kinds,  fill  our 
lakes  and  streams.  Wild  bees  are  common. 

Congress,  or  Unentered  Land. — The  most  choice  lands 
in  this  region  are  entered,  but  there  are  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  city  considerable  un-entered  lands,  which,  though 
without  timber,  have  a  good,  rich  soil.  In  the  country  east 
and  north,  there  remains  much  to  be  entered  at  govern- 
ment price. 

Timber  lands  may  also  be  purchased  to  suit  those  who 
enter  prairie  lands. 

Mills. — We  have  within  this  county  about  twelve  saw 
and  grist-mills,  but  not  half  enough  to  supply  the  demand 
for  lumber  and  flour.  The  county  above  has  some  four 
in  operation,  and  the  next  below,  six,  and  Cass  County,  one. 

In  Pottawattamie  County  we  are  in  extreme  need  of  a 
good  flouring-mill — such  as  we  have  in  the  country  will 
•nly  make  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds  of  flour  to  the 
17* 


198        WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA. 

bushel.  How  strange  !  wheat  $1  25  per  bushel,  and  flour 
$5  50  to  $6  00  per  hundred  pounds.  Who  couldn't  make 
money  out  of  a  good  mill  ? 

-  Mechanics. — We  are  in  great  want  of  many  and  various 
mechanics,  but  more  especially  at  this  time  we  have  no 
wagon-makers  in  Council  Blufls,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  get  a  wagon  or  carriage  mended.  If,  however,  one  is 
so  unlucky  as  to  succeed,  he  will  be  charged  an  enormous 
price,  and  that  by  bungling  pretenders.  Let  the  me- 
chanics of  the  east,  who  are  out  of  employment,  (and  will 
soon  be  out  of  funds),  come  here,  where  they  may  be  ser- 
viceable to  the  community,  and  get  rich.  Carpenters, 
millwrights,  brickmakers,  masons,  engineers,  architects,  and 
day  labourers,  are  in  special  demand.  - 

There  are  large  and  small  streams  at  intervals  all  over 
the  county,  the  principal  of  which  are  the  Nishnabotna, 
Keg  Creek,  Boyer  Kiver,  and  Musquito  and  Gopher 
Creeks.  There  are  a  number  of  lakes  in  the  bottoms,  in 
which,  as  well  as  the  streams,  are  stores  of  excellent  fish. 
Upon  these  streams  are  numerous  mill  sites,  only  a  small 
proportion  of  which  are  occupied.  Although  there  are 
about  one  dozen  mills  already  in  operation,  there  is  yet  a 
great  demand  for  more,  and  fortunes  might  be  made  by  in- 
vesting money  in  their  erection. 

For  grazing,  stock-growing,  or  dairy  business,  there  is  no 
region  of  country  better  adapted.  Stock  requires  little  or 
sometimes  no  feed,  and  upon  the  prairie  grass  will  fatten  in 
an  incredibly  short  space  of  time.  The  poor  mechanic  and 
labourer  soon  become  landholders,  and  the  capitalist  is  not 


WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA.       199 

satisfied  with  less  than  forty  per  cent,  well  secured,  which 
he  readily  obtains. 

How  to  get  here. — Boats  run  regularly  from  St.  Louis  to 
this  place,  all  through  the  season  of  navigation.  Freight 
up  usually  averages  about  seventy-five  cents  per  hundred, 
and  passengers  (cabin)  $15,  deck,  $5.  The  railroad  from 
the  east  is  completed  to  250  miles  from  this  place.  Teams 
can  be  purchased  in  and  about  Iowa  City  at  fair  prices. 

Towns. — The  largest  and  most  important  town  west  of 
the  Des  Moines  Valley,  is  Council  Bluffs  City,  which  is 
located  some  3  miles  from  the  Missouri,  (directly  opposite 
Omaha  City,  in  Nebraska"),  is  the  county-seat  of  Pottawat- 
tamie  County,  and  now  contains  about  2500  inhabitants.  It 
is  a  sparsely  built  incorporated  city,  contains  2  churches, 
Methodist  and  Congregational ;  3  schools,  10  stores,  6  doc- 
tors, 12  lawyers  and  mechanics,  and  artists  to  match.  Lots 
in  the  city  rate  from  $100  to  $1000,  each,  and  improved 
farms  in  the  neighborhood  from  $5  to  $10  per  acre,  in- 
cluding timber.  An  ever  flowing  stream,  called  Indian 
Creek,  runs  through  the  town,  and  upon  the  high  points 
of  the  adjacent  bluffs  the  country  for  miles  around  may 
be  seen,  including  a  broad  scope  of  the  beautiful  and  varied 
lands  of  Nebraska.  A  part  of  the  city  is  laid  out  with 
little  regularity,  it  having  been  settled  before  the  survey  of 
the  country ;  consequently,  the  lots  are  of  various  shapes, 
and  the  streets  of  such  angles  as  will, suit  the  position  of  the 
ground.  Many  excellent  buildings  already  have  been,  and 
are  now  being  reared,  and  good  improvements  are  rapidly 
progressing.  The  Land  Office  for  the  "Missouri  River 


200       WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA. 

restrict/'  embracing  thirteen  counties,  is  located  here. 
Four  distinct  railroads  have  been  surveyed  to  this  place 
from  the  Mississippi  River,  from  different  points,  some  of 
which  are  now  actually  under  course  of  construction  :  and 
it  is  thought  that  here  will  be  the  great  Missouri  crossing 
for  the  Pacific  Railroad. 

Improvements,  &c. — There  are  now  numerous  mills  scat- 
tered over  the  whole  Missouri  slope.  In  our  own  county 
there  are  some  eight  or  ten  saw  and  grist-mills,  but  not  half 
enough  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  community.  Lumber 
is  worth  from  $25  to  $40  per  thousand.  Many  fine  farms 
are  opened  and  cultivated,  and  the  farmers  are  commencing 
to  improve  their  farms  with  a  good  class  of  buildings. 
Farms  may  be  opened  at  a  small  expense — a  good  single 
ditch  can  be  made  for  40  cents  per  rod,  and  the  prairie 
broke  for  about  $3  per  acre. 

A  number  of  towns  and  cities  have  sprung  up,  whose 
size  and  population  are  rapidly  increasing  j  among  which, 
in  Fremont  County,  the  county-seat,  Sidney,  is  a  handsome 
and  thriving  town  of  1,000  or  1,200  inhabitants.  Coming 
northward,  the  next,  Tabor,  the  commencement  of  a  neat 
county  town,  is  a  most  thriving  and  beautiful  place,  con- 
taining a  thousand  or  more  inhabitants,  with  4  or  5  stores, 
2  or  3  public  houses,  2  mills,  with  other  necessary  business 
houses  and  mechanics,  is  twenty  miles  south  of  this  city 
on  Keg  Creek,  and  is  destined  to  become  an  important 
business  town.  St.  Mary,  on  the  Missouri,  and  in  the 
same  county,  a  small  place,  but  very  prettily  situated,  has 
much  improved  during  the  past  season.  This  place  is 
opposite  Bellevue  in  Nebraska.  Iranistan,  in  Cass  County, 


WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA.       201 

forty  miles  east  of  this  city,  on  the  main  stage  and  railroad 
route  from  the  east,  is  a  very  beautifully  located  place,  on 
the  Nitchnabotna  river,  has  good  mills  and  fine  public 
houses,  and  must  become  a  nice  inland  town.    Most  excel- 
lent farms  are  opened  around,  and  a  great  spirit  of  improve- 
ment prevails  there.    As  we  go  north  from  this  city  twelve 
miles,  we  first  come  to  Americus,  a  town  recently  surveyed 
at  Reel's  Mills.     The  proprietor  has  erected  a  large  and 
splendid  house,  which  is  nearly  completed.     An  excellent 
and  fertile  farming  country  surrounds  this  place.     About 
twenty-five  miles  north  of  this  city,  on  the  road  to  Ser- 
geant's  Bluff,  in  Harrison   county,  a  well-timbered  and 
bountifully  watered  region,  Calhoun,  a  thriving  and  fast 
growing  town,  is  being  built,  having  already  some  twenty 
or  more  houses,  most  of  which  have  been  built  this  season 
— two  stores  are  doing  a  good  business  there — good  farms 
in  the  region,  and  much  stock  is  raised  in  the  vicinity. 
Magnolia,  the  county-seat,  is  also  quite  a  smart  place,  and 
promises  to  become  a  town  of  considerable  note.     Ashton, 
twenty-five  miles  above,  is  a  site  just  surveyed  on  a  beautiful 
eminence,  and  surrounded  by  an  excellent  agricultural 
region.     Sergeant's  Bluff  City,  still  north,  and  an  hun- 
dred miles  above  Council  Bluffs,  is  a  young  place,  situated 
on  the  Missouri  River.     Men  of  capital  and  enterprise 
have  gone  there  to  settle,  who  will  make  a  place  out  of  it, 
if  a  good  location  and  energy  will  do  any  thing.     Sioux 
City,  seven  miles  further  north,  on  the  Missouri  River, 
contains  the  Land  Office  for  the  Sioux  River  District,  is  9 
newly  located  place  and  one  that  bids  fair  to  become  a  city 
of  great  importance.    It  is  on  a  line  directly  west  of  Du- 


202       WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA.' 

buque,  from  which  place  a  road  is  now  opened  via  Fort 
Dodge.  Woodbury  County  is  an  excellent  agricultural 
and  grazing  district,  well  timbered  and  abundantly  watered, 
and  containing  good  rock  and  stone  coal,  tip  the  Little 
Sioux,  in  the  same  county,  (Woodbury)  some  seventy-five 
miles,  a  flourishing  and  well  located  town,  called  Smith- 
land,  is  laid  out  and  finely  progressing  with  improvements. 
A  number  of  towns  of  less  magnitude  are  laid  out  and 
advancing  in  various  parts  of  Western  Iowa,  but  our 
limits  forbid  more  special  notices  at  present.  This  whole 
region  is  rapidly  becoming  populated  by  the  thousands  that 
are  coming  every  month  to  seize  upon  the  rich  and  valuable 
lands,  that  are  waiting  to  make  happy  homes  for  the  poor 
and  homeless. 

Pottawattomie  County  is  situated  on  the  Missouri  River, 
and  is  about  42  miles  in  length  on  its  north  line,  36  on  its 
south,  and  24  miles  wide  north  and  south.  It  is  bounded 
by  Harrison  and  Shelby  Counties  on  the  north,  Cass  on 
the  east,  Mills  and  a  portion  of  Montgomery  on  the  south, 
and  the  Missouri  on  the  west.  It  contains  about  936 
square  miles,  has  a  population  of  about  5000,  being  a  trifle 
less  than  five  and  a  half  to  the  square  mile. 

NEBRASKA. 

What  is  said  in  the  foregoing  pages  of  Western  Iowa  is 
true,  in  a  great  measure,  respecting  Eastern  Nebraska,  par- 
ticularly as  to  the  soil,  climate,  fruit  and  vegetation.  The 
western  portion  of  Iowa,  and  the  eastern  and  southern  por- 
tions of  Nebraska,  are  not  very  unlike  in  these  particulars. 
The  interior  or  western  parts  are  more  mountainous  and 


WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA.       203 

barren,  almost  entirely  destitute  of  timber,  and  really  of 
little  or  no  value  except  for  grazing.  A  number  of  im- 
portant towns  are  springing  up  on  the  Missouri  River,  the 
most  noted,  Dahkotah,  Omaha  City  (the  capital),  Bellevue, 
Plattsmouth,  Mount  Vernon,  Nebraska  City,  Florence,' 
Fort  Calhoun,  De  Soto,  Tekama,  and  Fontanelle,  occupying 
a  country  on  the  river,  north  and  south,  near  a  hundred 
miles  in  extent,  and  are  surrounded  with  good,  fertile,  and 
choice  lands.  Lime,  stone-coal,  and  other  minerals  have 
been  found  in  many  places,  and  this  country,  though  now 
but  little  known,  offers  great  inducements  to  settlers.  The 
capitol  being  permanently  located  at  Omaha  City  (oppo- 
site Council  Bluffs),  will  make  it,  eventually,  the  most 
important  city  in  the  Territory  or  State.  The*place  is 
beautifully  situated  on  a  high  bluff,  but  the  strip  of  low 
land  intervening  between  the  city  and  river  is  almost 
impassable  at  times,  during  high  water.  Bellevue,  nine 
miles  below,  is  the  point  at  which  the  Indian  Agency  for 
the  several  tribes  in  Nebraska  Territory  is  located.  The 
Presbyterian  Mission  for  the  Omaha  Indians  is  also  located 
here.  Farther  than  this,  the  place  is  at  present  of  not  much 
importance,  and  not  improving  as  rapidly  as  some  others. 
The  first  newspaper  ever  printed  in  the  Territory,  was  the 
"  Nebraska  Palladium,"  at  Bellevue,  in  the  fall  of  1854. 
Mt.  Vernon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Weeping  "Water,  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  sites  for  a  town,  in  the  Territory. 
With  an  abundance  of  good  building-stone,  timber,  and 
stone-coal,  surrounded  by  an  excellent  farming  country,  it 
must  eventually  become  one  of  the  most  important  towns. 


204:       WESTERN    IOWA    AND    NEBRASKA. 

It  is  the  nearest  point  on  the  Missouri  to  the  great 
Salt  Springs,  in  the  interior  of  Nebraska.  Nebraska 
City,  eight  miles  below  Mt.  Vernon,  is  a  place  of  some 
importance,  affords  a  fine  view  from  the  river,  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  agricultural  country,  and  from  the 
character  of  its  newspapers,  we  infer  is  a  place  of  thrift, 
energy,  and  intelligence.  This  was  the  site  of  Old  Fort 
Kearney. 

The  following  is  the  conclusion  of  a  good-natured  letter 
from  one  of  a  company  who  immigrated  to  Nebraska,  and, 
finding  it  wanting,  returned  to  Iowa.  Of  Nebraska,  he 


"  Most  of  this  territory  has  a  very  fine  soil,  and  water 
suificient  in  places  to  make  it  equal  to  Iowa,  but  the 
almost  total  absence  of  timber  may  keep  it  back  for  a 
great  while.  On  the  whole,  we  are  all  perfectly  convinced 
that  Iowa  is  the  place  for  us,  and  hence  return  well  satis- 
fied to  stay  here.  We  think  that  the  whole  territory  put 
together  cannot  have  one-half  the  timber  that  Iowa  has. — 
We  also  think  that  there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  unoccu- 
pied lands  in  Iowa,  better  situated  and  worth  double  what 
many  persons  are  claiming  and  asking.  Nebraska  is 
much  better  suited  for  the  elk  and  buffalo,  than  either 
for  Indian  or  white  man.  But  the  Indians  have  driven 
all  the  former  away,  and  wisely  sold  it  to  Uncle  Sam, 
being  of  no  further  use  to  them.  We  have  our  fears  lest 
Uncle  Sam  is  bit;  but  if  you  believe  all  the  newspaper 
stories  of  that  region  it  is  certainly  a  paradise ;  but  Iowa 
for  me  forever." 


NEW    COUNTIES.  205 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PUBLIC  LANDS,   SYSTEM   OF   SURVEYS,   40. 

The  tide  of  immigration  into  Iowa  last  year,  and  the 
demand  for  vacant  lands,  was  unprecedented.  We  estimate 
the  amount  sold  at  the  several  Land  Offices  in  1855,  at, 
say,  10,000,000  acres.  Some  of  this  land,  when  first 
offered  at  the  newly  opened  offices,  sold  as  high  as  $25  per 
acre.  Good  land  at  government  price,  is  comparatively 
scarce,  but  there  are  still  large  bodies  of  vacant  land  in 
the  western  and  northern  portions  of  the  State;  and  some 
even  within  the  Coal  District  of  Iowa.  This  coal  field  is 
plainly  shown  on  "  Parker's  Sectional  and  Geological  Map 
of  Iowa,  for  185G." 

In  all  the  new  States  and  Territories,  the  lands  which 
are  owned  by  the  General  Government  are  surveyed  and 
sold  under  one  general  system.  The  government  price  of  land 
is  $1  25  per  acre.  The  system  of  surveys  is  one  of  great 
accuracy  and  beauty.  Meridian  lines  are  established  and 
surveyed  in  a  line  due  north  from  some  given  point — gene- 
rally from  some  important  water-course.  These  are  inter- 
sected at  right  angles  with  a  base  line.  On  the  meridians, 
the  "  townships"  are  numbered  north  and  south  from  the 
base  lines;  and,  on  the  base  lines,  "ranges"  east  or  west 
of  the  meridian.  Township  lines  are  then  run  at  a  distance 
18 


206 


NEW    COUNTIES. 


of  six  miles,  parallel  to  the  meridian  and  base  lines.  Each 
township  contains  an  area  of  36  square  miles;  each  square 
mile  is  termed  a  section,  and  contains  640  acres.  The 
sections  are  numbered  from  1  to  36,  beginning  at  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  township,  as  the  following  diagram 
will  illustrate : — 


6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

18 

17 

16* 

16 

14 

13 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

30 

29 

28 

27 

26 

25 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

When  surveyed,  the  lands  are  ofiered  for  sale  at  public 
auction,  but  cannot  be  disposed  of  at  a  less  price  than  one 
dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre.  That  portion  not 
sold  at  public  auction  is  subject  to  private  entry  at  any 
time,  for  the  above  price,  payable  in  cash  at  the  time  of 
entry. 

Pre-emption  rights  give  the  improver  or  possessor  the 
privilege  of  purchasing  at  the  minimum  price. 

I  have  thus  endeavored  briefly  to  elucidate,  in  the  pre- 
ceding diagram,  the  system  of  the  surveys  of  public  lands ; 
which,  to  strangers  unacquainted  with  the  sections  and  sub- 
divisions, appears  perplexing  and  intricate. 


*  The  16th  section  in  each  township  is  appropriated  for  schools. 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  207 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

CONSTITUTION  OF  THE   STATE   OF  IOWA. 
(Adopted  in  Convention,  May  18, 1846.) 


Preamble  and  Boundaries. — WE,  the  People  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Iowa,  grateful  to  the  Supreme  Being  for  the  bless- 
ings hitherto  enjoyed,  and  feeling  our  dependence  on  Him 
for  a  continuation  of  those  blessings,  do  ordain  and  esta- 
blish a  free  and  independent  government,  by  the  name 
of  the  State  of  Iowa,  the  boundaries  -whereof  shall  be  as 
follows : 

Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  at  a  point  due  east  of  the  middle  of  the 
mouth  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Des  Moines  River,  thence 
up  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  said  Des  Moines 
River,  to  a  point  on  said  river  where  the  northern  bound- 
ary line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  as  established  by  the  Con- 
stitution of  that  State,  adopted  June  12th,  1820,  crosses 
the  said  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  said  Des  Moines 
River;  thence  westwardly,  along  the  said  northern  bound- 
ary line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  as  established  at  the  time 
aforesaid,  until  an  extension  of  said  line  intersect  the  mid- 
dle of  the  main  channel  of  the  Missouri  River ;  thence  up 


208  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  said  Missouri  River, 
to  a  point  opposite  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the 
Big  Sioux  River,  according  to  Nicollett's  map;  thence  up 
the  main  channel  of  the  said  Big  Sioux  River,  according  to 
""said  map,  until  it  is  intersected  by  the  parallel  of  forty-three 
degrees  and  thirty  minutes  north  latitude ;  thence  east,  along 
said  parallel  of  forty-three  degrees  and  thirty  minutes,  until 
said  parallel  intersect  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of 
the  Mississippi  River;  thence  down  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  of  said  Mississippi  River,  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

ARTICLE  I. 

Bill  of  Rights. — ].  All  men  are,  by  nature,  free  and  in- 
dependent, and  have  certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which 
are  those  of  enjoying  and  defending  life  and  liberty,  acquir- 
ing, possessing,  and  protecting  property,  and  pursuing  and 
obtaining  safety  and  happiness. 

2.  All  political  power  is  inherent  in  the  people.     Go- 
vernment is  instituted  for  the  protection,  security,  and  be- 
nefit of  the  people ;  and  they  have  the  right  at  all  times  to 
alter  or  reform  the  same,  whenever  the  public  good  may 
require  it. 

3.  The  General  Assembly  shall  make  no  law  respecting 
an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise 
thereof,  nor  shall  any  person  be  compelled  to  attend  any 
place  of  worship,  pay  tithes,  taxes,  or  other  rates,  for  build- 
ing or  repairing  places  of  worship,  or  for  the  maintenance 
of  any  minister  or  ministry. 

4.  No  religious  test  shall  be  required  as  a  qualification 
for  any  office  or  public  trust,  and  no  person  shall  be  de- 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  209 

prived  of  any  of  his  rights,  privileges  or  capacities,  or  dis- 
qualified from  the  performance  of  any  of  his  public  or  pri- 
vate duties,  or  rendered  incompetent  to  give  evidence  in 
any  court  of  law  or  equity,  in  consequence  of  his  opinions 
on  the  subject  of  religion. 

5.  Any  citizen  of  this  State,  who  may  hereafter  be  en- 
gaged, either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  a  duel,  either  as  prin- 
cipal or  accessory  before  the  fact,  shall  forever  be  disquali- 
fied from  holding  any  office  under  the  Constitution  and  laws 
of  this  State. 

6.  All  laws  of  a  general  nature  shall  have  a  uniform 
operation. 

7.  Every  person  may  speak,  write,  and  publish,  his  sen- 
timents on  all  subjects,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of 
that  right.     No  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain  or  abridge 
the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  press.     In  all  prosecutions 
or  indictments  for  libel,  the  truth  may  b«  given  in  evidence 
to  the  jury,  and  if  it  appear  to  the  jury  that  the  matter 
charged  as  libellous  was  true,  and  was  published  with  good 
motives,  and  for  justifiable  ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted. 

8.  The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons, 
houses,  papers   and  effects,  against  unreasonable  seizures 
and  searches,  shall  not  be  violated ;  and  no  warrant  shall 
issue,  but  on  probable  cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirma- 
tion, particularly  describing  the  place  to  be  searched,  and 
the  papers  and  things  to  be  seized. 

9.  The  right  of  trial  by  jury  shall  remain  inviolate ;  but 
the  General  Assembly  may  authorize  trial  by  a  jury  of  a 

less  number  than  twelve  men  in  inferior  courts. 
18* 


210  CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA. 

10.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions,  the  accused  shall  have  a 
right  to  a  speedy  trial,  by  an  impartial  jury;  to  be  informed 
of  the  accusation  against  him  j  to  be  confronted  with  the 
witnesses  against  him  j  to  have  compulsory  process  for  his 
own  witnesses,  and  to  have  the  assistance  of  counsel. 

11.  No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  criminal  of- 
fence, unless  on  presentment  or  indictment  by  a  grand  jury, 
except  ill  cases  cognizable  by  justices  of  the  peace,  or  arising 
in  the  army  and  navy,  or  in  the  militia  when  in  actual  ser- 
vice, in  time  of  war,  or  public  danger. 

12.  No  person  shall,  after  acquittal,  be  tried  for  the  samo 
offence.     All  persons  shall,  before  conviction,  be  bailable, 
by  sufficient  sureties,  except  for  capital  offences,  where  the 
proof  is  evident,  or  the  presumption  great. 

13.  The  writ  of  Habeas  Corpus  shall  not  be  suspended, 
unless,  in  case  of  rebellion  or  invasion,  the  public  safety  re- 
quires it. 

14.  The  military  shall  be  subordinate  to  the  civil  power. 
No  standing  army  shall  be  kept  up  by  the  State  in  time  of 
peace,  and  in  time  of  war  no  appropriation  for  a  standing 
army  shall  be  for  a  longer  time  than  two  years. 

15.  No  soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace,  be  quartered  in 
any  house,  without  the  consent  of  the  owner,  nor  in  time 
of  war,  except  in  the  manner  prescribed  by  law. 

16.  Treason  against  the  State  shall  consist  only  in  levy- 
ing war  against  it,  adhering  to  its  enemies,  or  giving  them 
aid  and  comfort.     No  person  shall  be  convicted  of  treason 
unless  on  evidence  of  two  witnesses  to  the  same  overt  act, 
or  confession  in  open  court. 


CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA.  211 

17.  Excessive  bail   shall  not   be   required.     Excessive 
fines  shall  not  be  imposed ;  and  cruel  and  unusual  punish- 
ments shall  not  be  inflicted. 

18.  Private  property  shall  not  be  taken  for  public  use 
"without  just  compensation. 

19.  No  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  debt  in  any  civil 
action  on  mesne,  or  final  process,  unless  in  cases  of  fraud  j 
and  no  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  a  militia  fine  in  time 
of  peace. 

20.  The  people  have  the  right  freely  to  assemble  together 
to  consult  for  the  common  good,  to  make  known  their  opi- 
nions to  their  representatives,  and  to  petition  for  redress  of 
grievances. 

21.  No  bill  of  attainder,  ex  post  facto  law,  or  law  im- 
pairing the  obligation  of  contracts,  shall  ever  be  passed. 

22.  Foreigners  who  are,  or  who  may  hereafter  become 
residents  of  this  State,  shall  enjoy  the  same  rights,  in  res- 
pect to  the  possession,  enjoyment,  and  descent  of  property, 
as  native  born  citizens. 

23.  Neither  slavery,  nor  involuntary  servitude,  unless  for 
the  punishment  of  crimes,  shall  ever  be  tolerated  in  this 
State. 

24.  This  enumeration  of  rights  shall  not  be  construed  to 
impair  or  deny  others,  retained  by  the  people. 

ARTICLE  II. 

Right  of  Suffrage. — 1.  Every  white  male  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  of  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  who  shall 
have  been  a  resident  of  the  State  six  months  next  preceding 


212  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

the  election,  and  the  county  in  which  he  claims  his  vote 
twenty  days,  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  all  elections  which 
are  now,  or  hereafter  may  be  authorized  by  law. 

2.  Electors  shall,  in  all  cases,  except  treason,  felony,  or 
breach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  on  the  days 
of  election,  during  their  attendance  at  such  election,  going 
to,  and  returning  therefrom. 

3.  No  elector  shall  be  obliged  to  perform  militia  duty  on 
the  day  of  election,  except  in  time  of  war,  or  public  danger. 

4.  No  person  in  the  military,  naval,  or  marine  service  of 
the  United  States,  shall  be  considered  a  resident  of  this 
State  by  being  stationed  in  any  garrison,  barrack,  or  mili- 
tary or  naval  place  or  station  within  this  State. 

5.  No  idiot  or  insane  person,  or  persons  convicted  of  any 
infamous  crime,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  an 
elector. 

6.  All  elections  by  the  people,  shall  be  by  ballot. 

ARTICLE  III. 

Of  the  Distribution  of  Power. — 1.  The  powers  of  the 
government  of  Iowa  shall  be  divided  into  three  separate  de- 
partments ;  the  legislative,  the  executive,  and  judicial ;  and 
no  person  charged  with  the  exercise  of  powers  properly  be- 
longing to  one  of  these  departments,  shall  exercise  any  func- 
tion appertaining  to  either  of  the  others,  except  in  cases 
hereinafter  expressly  directed  or  permitted. 

Legislative  Department. — 1.  The  Legislative  authority 
of  this  State  shall  be  vested  in  a  Senate  and  House  of  Re- 
presentatives, which  shall  be  designated  the  General  Assem* 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  213 

bly  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  and  the  style  of  their  laws  shall 
commence  in  the  following  manner:  "Be  it  enacted  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Iowa." 

2.  The  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  be  bien- 
nial, and  shall  commence  on  the  first  Monday  of  December 
next  ensuing  the  election  of  its  members;  unless  the  Go- 
vernor of  the  State  shall,  in  the  interim,  convene  the  Ge- 
neral Assembly  by  proclamation. 

3.  The  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  shall 
be  chosen  every  second  year,  by  the  qualified  electors  of 
their  respective  districts,  on  the  first  Monday  in  August, 
whose  term  of  office  shall  continue  two  years  from  the  day 
of  the  general  election. 

4.  No  person  shall  be  a  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives who  shall  not  have  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years ;  be  a  free  white  male  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  have  been  an  inhabitant  of  this  State  or  Territory  one 
year  next  preceding  his  election ;  and  at  the  time  of  his 
election,  have  an  actual  residence  of  thirty  days  in  the 
county  or  district  he  may  be  chosen  to  represent. 

5.  Senators  shall  be  chosen  for  the  term  of  four  years, 
at  the  same  time  and  place  as  Representatives ;  they  shall 
be  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  possess  the  qualifications  of 
Representatives  as  to  residence  and  citizenship. 

6.  The  number  of  Senators  shall  not  be  less  than  one- 
third,  nor  more  than  one-half  of  the  Representative  body; 
and  at  the  first  session  of  the  General  Assembly  after  this 
Constitution  takes  effect,  the  Senators  shall  be  divided  by 
lot,  as  equally  as  may  be,  into  two  classes ;  the  seats  of  the 


214  CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA. 

Senators  of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  at  the  expiration 
of  the  second  year,  so  that  one  half  shall  be  chosen  every 
two  years. 

7.  When  the  number  of  Senators  is  increased,  they  shall 
be  annexed  by  lot  to  one  of  the  two  classes,  so  as  to  keep 
them  as  nearly  equal  in  number  as  practicable. 

8.  Each  House  shall  choose  its  own  officers,  and  judge  of 
the  qualification,  election,  and  return  of  its  own  members. 
A  contested  election  shall  be  determined  in  such  manner  as 
shall  be  directed  by  law. 

9.  A  majority  of  each  House  shall  constitute  a  quorum 
to  do  business,  but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from 
day  to  day,  and  may  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  mem- 
bers, in  such  manner  and  under  such  penalties  as  each  House 
may  provide. 

10.  Each  House  shall  sit  upon  its  own  adjournments,  keep 
a  journal  of  its  proceedings,  and  publish  the  same;  deter- 
mine its  rules  of  proceedings,  punish  members  for  disorderly 
behaviour,  and,  with  the  consent  of  two-thirds,  expel  a  mem- 
ber, but  not  a  second  time  for  the  same  offence ;  and  shall 
have  all  other  powers  necessary  for  a  branch  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  a  free  and  independent  State. 

11.  Every  member  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  have 
the  liberty  to  dissent  from,  or  protest  against,  any  act  or 
resolution  which  he  may  think  injurious  to  the  public,  or 
an  individual,  and  have  the  reasons  for  his  dissent  entered 
on  the  journals;  and  the  yeas  and  nays  of  the  members  of 
either  House,  on  any  question,  shall,  at  the  desire  of  any  two 
members  present,  be  entered  on  the  journals. 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  215 

12.  Senators  and  Representatives,  in  all  cases  except 
treason,  felony,  or  breach  of  the  peace,  shall  be  privileged 
from  arrest  during  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly, 
and  in  going  to,  and  returning  from  the  same. 

13.  When  vacancies  occur  in  either  House,  the  Governor, 
)r  the  person  exercising  the  functions  of  Governor,  shall 
issue  writs  of  election  to  fill  such  vacancies. 

14.  The  doors  of  each  House  shall  be  open,  except  on 
such  occasion  as,  in  the  opinion  of  the  House,  may  require 
secrecy. 

15.  Neither  House  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the  other, 
adjourn  for  more  than  three  days,  nor  to  any  other  place 
than  that  in  which  they  may  be  sitting. 

16.  Bills  may  originate  in  either  House,  except  bills  for 
revenue,  which  shall   always  originate   in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  and  may  be  amended,  altered,  or  rejected 
by  the  other;  and  every  bill,  having  passed  both  Houses, 
shall   be  signed   by  the   Speaker  and  President  of  their 
respective  Houses. 

17.  Every  bill  which   shall   have   passed   the  General 
Assembly  shall,  before  it  becomes  a  law,  be  presented  to  the 
Governor.     If  he  approve,  he  shall  sign  it ;  but  if  not,  he 
shall  return  it,  with  his  objections,  to  the  House  in  which  it 
originated,  which  shall  enter  the  same  upon  the  journal,  and 
proceed  to  reconsider  it :  if,  after  such  reconsideration,  it 
again  pass  both  Houses,  by  yeas  and  nays,  by  a  majority  of 
two-thirds  of  the  members  of  each  House  present,  it  shall 
become  a  law,  notwithstanding  the  Governor's  objections. 
If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  within  three  days  after  it 


216  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

shall  have  been  presented  to  him,  Sundays  excepted,  the 
same  shall  be  a  law  in  like  manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it  j 
unless  the  General  Assembly,  by  adjournment,  prevent 
such  return. 

18.  An  accurate  statement  of  the  receipts  and  expendi- 
tures of  the  public  money  shall  be  attached  to,  and  pub- 
lished with  the  laws,  at  every  regular  session  of  the  General 

1  Assembly. 

19.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall  have  the  sole 
power  of  impeachment,  and  all  impeachments  shall  be  tried 
by  the  Senate.    When  sitting  for  that  purpose,  the  Senators 
shall  be  upon  oath  or  affirmation,  and  no  person  shall  be 
convicted  without  the   concurrence  of   two-thirds  of  the 
members  present. 

20.  The  Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  Auditor,  Trea- 
surer, and  Judges  of  the  Supreme  and  District  Courts  shall 
be  liable  to  impeachment  for  any  misdemeanor  in  office ;  but 
judgment  in  such  cases  shall  extend  only  to  removal  from 
office,  and  disqualification  to  hold  any  office  of  honor,  trust, 
or  profit  under  this  State  j  but  the  party  convicted  or  acquit- 
ted, shall,  nevertheless,  be  liable  to  indictment,  trial,  and 
punishment,  according  to  law.    All  other  civil  officers  shali 
be  tried  for  misdemeanors  in  office  in  such  manner  as  th^ 
General  Assembly  may  provide. 

21.  No  Senator  or  Representative  shall,  during  the  time 
for  which  he  shall  have  been  elected,  be  appointed  to  any 
civil  office  of  profit  under  this  State,  which  shall  have  been 
created,  or  the  emoluments  of  which  shall  have  been  increased, 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  217 

during  such  term,  except  such  offices  as  may  be  filled  bj 
elections  by  the  people. 

22.  No  person  holding  any  lucrative  office  under  th« 
United  States,  or  this  State,  or  any  other  power,  shall  be 
eligible  to  the  General  Assembly :  Provided,  That  offices  in 
the  militia,  to  which  there  is  attached  no  annual  salary,  or 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  or  postmasters  whose  com- 
pensation does  not  exceed  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum, 
shall  not  be  deemed  lucrative. 

23.  No  person  who  may  hereafter  be  a  collector  or  holder 
of  public  monies,  shall  have  a  seat  in  either  house  of  the 
General  Assembly,  or  be  eligible  to  any  office  of  trust  or 
profit  under  this  State,  until  he  shall  have  accounted  for, 
and  paid  into  the  treasury,  all  sums  for  which  he  may  be 
liable. 

24.  No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  but  in 
consequence  of  appropriations  made  by  law. 

25.  Each  member  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  receive 
a  compensation,  to  be  fixed  by  law,  for  his  services,  to  be 
paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  State.     Such  compensation 
shall  not  exceed  two  dollars  per  day,  for  the  period  of  fifty 
days  from  the  commencement  of  the  session,  and  shall  not 
exceed  the  sum  of  one  dollar  per  day  for  the  remainder  of 
the   session.     When   convened   in   extra  session   by  the 
Governor,  they  shall  receive  such  sum  as  shall  be  fixed  for 
the  first  fifty  days  of  the  ordinary  session.     They  shall  also 
receive  two  dollars  for  every  twenty  miles  they  travel,  in 
going  to,  and  returning  from  their  place  of  meeting,  on  the 
most  usual  route :   Provided,  however,  That  the  members 

19 


218  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

of  the  first  General  Assembly  under  this  Constitution  shall 
receive  two  dollars  per  day  for  their  services  during  the 
entire  session. 

26.  Every  law  shall  embrace  but  one  object,  which  shall 
be  expressed  in  the  title. 

27.  No  law  of  the  General  Assembly,  of  a  public  nature, 
shall  take  effect  until  the  same  shall  be  published  and  cir- 
culated in  the  several  counties  of  this  State,  by  authority. 
If  the  General  Assembly  shall  deem  any  law  of  immediate 
importance,  they  may  provide  that  the  same  shall  take  effect 
by  publication  in  newspapers  in  the  State. 

28.  No  divorce  shall  be  granted  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly. 

29.  No  lottery  shall  be  authorized  by  this  State,  nor 
shall  the  sale  of  lottery  tickets  be  allowed. 

30.  Members  of  the  General  Assembly  shall,  before  they 
enter  upon  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices,  take  and 
subscribe  the  following  oath  or  affirmation  :  "I  do  solemnly 
swear,  or  affirm,  (as  the  case  may  be,)  that  I  will  support 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Constitution 
of  the  State  of  Iowa,  and  that  I  will  faithfully  discharge 
the  duties  of  Senator,  (or  Representative,  as  the  case  may 
be,)  according  to  the  best  of  my  ability.''  And  members  of 
the  General  Assembly  are  hereby  empowered  to  administer 
to  each  other  the  said  oath  or  affirmation. 

31.  Within  one  year  after  the  ratification  of  this  Consti- 
tution, and  within  every  subsequent  term  of  two  years,  for 
the  term  of  eight  years,  an  enumeration  of  all  the  white 
inhabitants  of  this  State  shall  be  made  in  such  manner  as 


CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA.  219 

shall  be  directed  by  law.  The  number  of  Senators  and 
Representatives  shall,  at  the  first  regular  session  of  the 
General  Assembly,  after  such  enumeration,  be  fixed  by  law, 
and  apportioned  among  the  several  counties,  according  to 
the  number  of  white  inhabitants  in  each,  and  shall  also,  at 
every  subsequent  regular  session,  apportion  the  House  of 
Eepresentatives,  and  every  other  regular  session  the  Senate, 
for  eight  years;  and  the  House  of  Representatives  shall 
never  be  less  than  twenty-six,  nor  greater  than  thirty-nine, 
until  the  number  of  white  inhabitants  shall  be  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  thousand ;  and  after  that  event,  at  such 
ratio  that  the  whole  number  of  Representatives  shall  never 
be  less  than  thirty-nine,  nor  exceeding  seventy-two. 

32.  When  a  Congressional,  Senatorial,  or  Representative 
district  shall  be  composed  of  two  or  more  counties,  it  shall 
not   be   entirely  separated   by  any  county   belonging  to 
another  district ;  and  no  county  shall  be  divided  in  forming 
a  Congressional,  Senatorial,  or  Representative  district. 

33.  In  all  elections  by  the  General  Assembly,  the  mem- 
bers thereof  shall  vote  viva  voce,  and  the  votes  shall  be  en- 
tered on  the  journal. 

34.  For  the  first  ten  years  after  the  organization  of  the 
government,  the  annual  salary  of  the  Governor  shall  not 
exceed  one  thousand  dollars ;  Secretary  of  State,  five  hun- 
dred dollars;   Treasurer,  four  hundred  dollars;    Auditor, 
six  hundred  dollars ;  Judges  of  the  Supreme  and  District 
Courts,  each  one  thousand  dollars. 


220  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

ARTICLE.  IV. 

Executive  Department. — 1.  The  Supreme  Executive 
power  of  this  State  shall  be  vested  in  a  Chief  Magistrate, 
who  shall  be  styled  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  Iowa. 

2.  The  Governor  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  elec- 
^ors,  at  the  time  and  place  of  voting  for  members  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and  shall  hold  his  office  four  years  from 
the  time  of  his  installation,  and  until  his  successor  shall  be 
qualified. 

3.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  Governor, 
who  has  not  been  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  a  resi- 
dent of  the  State  next  preceding  the  election,  and  attained 
the  age  of  thirty  years  at  the  time  of  said  election. 

4.  The  returns  of  every  election  for  Governor  shall  be 
sealed   up   and   transmitted   to   the   seat  of  Government, 
directed  to  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
who  shall,  during  the  first  week  of  the  session,  open  and 
publish  them  in  presence  of  both  Houses  of  the  General 
Assembly.     The  person  having   the   highest   number  of 
votes,  shall  be  Governor;  but  in  case  any  two  or  more  have 
an  equal  and  the  highest  number  of  votes,  the  General 
Assembly  shall,  by  joint  ballot,  choose  one  of  said  per- 
sons so  having  an  equal  and  highest  number  of  votes,  for 
Governor. 

5.  The  Governor  shall  be  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
militia,  the  army  and  navy  of  this  State. 

6.  He  shall   transact  all  executive  business,  with  the 
officers  of  Government,  civil  and  military,  and  may  require 
information  in  writing  from  the  officers  of  the  executive 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  221 

department  upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their 
respective  offices. 

7.  He  shall  see  that  the  laws  are  faithfully  executed. 

8.  When  any  office  shall  from  any  cause  become  vacant, 
and  no  mode  is  provided  by  the  Constitution  and  laws  for 
filling  such  vacancy,  the  Governor  shall  have  power  to  fill 
such  vacancy,  by  granting  a  commission,  which  shall  expire 
at  the  end  of  the  next  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  or 
at  the  next  election  by  the  people. 

9.  He   may,   on  extraordinary  occasions,  convene   the 
General  Assembly  by  proclamation,  and  shall  state  to  both 
Houses,  when  assembled,  the  purposes  for  which  they  shall 
have  been  convened. 

10.  He  shall  communicate  by  message  to  the  General 
Assembly,  at  every  session,  the  condition  of  the  State,  and 
recommend  such  matters  as  he  shall  deem  expedient. 

11.  In  case  of  disagreement  between  the  two  Houses, 
with  respect  to  the  time  of  adjournment,  the  Governor  shall 
have  power  to  adjourn  the  General  Assembly  to  such  time 
as  he  may  think  proper,  provided  it  be  not  beyond  the 
time  fixed  for  the  meeting  of  the  next  General  Assembly. 

12.  No   person    shall,  while   holding   any  other  office 
under  the  United  States,  or  this  State,  execute  the  office  of 
Governor,  except  as  hereinafter  expressly  provided. 

13.  The  Governor  shall  have  power  to  grant  reprieves 
and  pardons,  and  commute  punishments  after  conviction, 
except  in  case  of  impeachment. 

14.  The  Governor  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  his 

services  a  compensation  which  shall  neither  be  increased 
19* 


222  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

nor  diminished  during  the  time  for  which,  he  shall  have  been 
elected. 

15.  There  shall  be  a  seal  of  this  State,  which  shall  be 
kept  by  the  Governor,  and  used  by  him  officially,  and  shall 
be  called  the  Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  Iowa. 

16.  All  grants  and  commissions  shall  be  in  the  name 
and  by  the  authority  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Iowa, 
sealed  with  the  great  seal  of  this  State,  signed  by  the  Gover- 
nor, and  countersigned  by  the  Secretary  of  State. 

17.  A  Secretary  of  State,  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts, 
and  Treasurer,  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors, 
who  shall  continue  in  office  two  years.     The  Secretary  of 
State  shall  keep  a  fair  register  of  all  the  official  acts  of  the 
Governor,  and  shall,  when  required,  lay  the  same,  together 
with  all  papers,  minutes,  and  vouchers,  relative  thereto, 
before  either  branch  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  shall 
perform  such  other  duties  as  shall  be  assigned  him  by  law. 

18.  In  case  of  impeachment  of  the  Governor,  his  removal 
from  office,  death,  resignation,  or  absence  from  the  State, 
the  powers  and  duties  of  the  office  shall  devolve  upon  the 
Secretary  of  State,  until  such  disability  shall  cease,  or  the 
vacancy  be  filled. 

19.  If,  during  the  vacancy  of  the  office  of  Governor,  the 
Secretary  of  State  shall  be  impeached,  displaced,  resign,  die, 
or  be  absent  from  the  State,  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  office 
of  Governor  shall  devolve  upon  the  President  of  the  Senate  j 
and  should  a  vacancy  occur  by  impeachment,  death,  resig- 
nation, or  absence  from  the  State,  of  the  President  of  the 


CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA.  223 

Senate,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  shall 
act  as  Governor  till  the  vacancy  be  filled. 

ARTICLE  V. 

Judicial  Department. — 1.  The  Judicial  power  shall  be 
vested  in  the  Supreme  Court,  District  Courts,  and  such  in- 
ferior Courts,  as  the  General  Assembly  may  from  time  to 
time  establish. 

2.  The  Supreme  Court  shall  consist  of  a  Chief  Justice, 
and  two  Associates,  two  of  whom  shall  be  a  quorum  to  hold 
a  Court. 

3.  The  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  shall  be  elected  by 
joint  vote  of  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly,  and 
shall  hold  their  Courts  at  such  time  and  place  as  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  may  direct,  and  hold  their  offices  for  six 
years,  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified, 
and  shall  be  ineligible  to  any  other  office  during  the  term 
for  which  they  may  be  elected.    The  Supreme  Court  shall 
have  appellate  jurisdiction  only  in  all  cases  in  chancery,  and 
shall  constitute  a  Court  for  the  correction  of  errors  at  law, 
under  such  restrictions  as  the  General  Assembly  may  by 
law  prescribe. — The  Supreme  Court  shall  have  power  to 
issue  all  writs  and  process  necessary  to  do  justice  to  partieSj 
and  exercise   a  supervisory  control  over  all  inferior  judicial 
tribunals,  and  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  shall  be 
conservators  of  the  peace  throughout  the  State. 

4.  The  District  Court  shall  consist  of  a  Judge,  who  shall 
be  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  district  in  which  he 
resides,  at  the  township  election,  and  hold  his  office  for  the 


224  CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA. 

term  of  five  years,  and  until  his  successor  is  duly  elected 
and  qualified,  and  shall  be  ineligible  to  any  other  office 
during  the  term  for  which  he  may  be  elected.  The  Dis- 
trict Court  shall  be  a  court  of  law  and  equity,  and  have 
jurisdiction  in  all  civil  and  criminal  matters  arising  in  their 
respective  districts,  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  prescribed 
by  law.  The  Judges  of  the  District  Court  shall  be  conser- 
vators of  the  peace  in  their  respective  districts.  The  first 
Bession  of  the  General  Assembly  shall  divide  the  State  into 
four  districts,  which  may  be  increased  as  the  exigencies 
require. 

5.  The  qualified  voters  of  each  county  shall,  at  the  gene- 
ral election,  elect  one  Prosecuting  Attorney,  and  one  Clerk 
of  the  District  Court,  who  shall  be  residents  therein,  and 
who  shall  hold  their  several  offices  for  the  term  of  two 
years,  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified. 

6.  The  style  of  all  process  shall  be  "The  State  of 
Iowa,"  and  all  prosecutions  shall  be  conducted  in  the  name, 
and  by  authority  of  the  same. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

Militia. — 1.  The  militia  of  this  State  shall  be  composed 
of  all  able-bodied  white  male  citizens,  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five  years,  except  such  as  are,  or  may 
hereafter  be  exempt  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  or 
of  this  State,  and  shall  be  armed,  equipped,  and  trained  as 
the  General  Assembly  may  provide  by  law. 

2.  No  person  or  persons,  conscientiously  scrupulous  of 
bearing  arms,  shall  be  compelled  to  do  militia  duty,  in  time 


CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA.  225 

of  peace,  provided,  that  such  person  or  persons  shall  pay 
an  equivalent  for  such  exemption  in  the  same  manner  as 
other  citizens. 

3.  All  commissioned  officers  of  the  militia,  (staff  officers 
excepted,)  shall  be  elected  by  the  persons  liable  to  perform 
military  duty,  and  shall  be  commissioned  by  the  Governor. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

State  Debts. — 1.  The  General  Assembly  shall  not,  in  any 
manner  create  any  debt  or  debts,  liability  or  liabilities, 
which  shall,  singly,  or  in  the  aggregate,  with  any  previous 
debts  or  liabilities,  exceed  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  except  in  case  of  war,  to  repel  invasion,  or  suppress 
insurrection,  unless  the  same  shall  be  authorized  by  some 
law  for  some  single  object,  or  work,  to  be  distinctly  speci- 
fied therein,  which  law  shall  provide  ways  and  means,  ex- 
clusive of  loans,  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  of  such 
debt  or  liability,  as  it  falls  due,  and  also  to  pay  and  dis- 
charge the  principal  of  such  debt  or  liability  within  twenty 
years  from  the  time  of  contracting  thereof,  and  shall  be 
irrepealable  until  the  principal  and  the  interest  thereon 
shall  be  paid  and  discharged;  but  no  such  law  shall  take 
effect,  until,  at  a  general  election,  it  shall  have  been  sub- 
mitted to  the  people,  and  have  received  a  majority  of  all  the 
votes  cast  for  and  against  it,  at  such  election,  and  all  money 
raised  by  authority  of  such  law,  shall  be  applied  only  to 
the  specific  object  therein  stated,  or  to  the  payment  of  the 
debt  thereby  created,  and  such  law  shall  be  published  in  at 
least  one  newspaper  in  each  judicial  district,  if  one  is  pub- 


226  CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA. 

lished  therein,  throughout  the  State,  for  three  months 
preceding  the  election,  at  which  it  is  submitted  to  the 
people. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

Incorporations. — 1.  No  corporate  body  shall  hereafter 
be  created,  renewed,  or  extended,  with  the  privilege  of 
making,  issuing,  or  putting  into  circulation,  any  bill,  check, 
ticket,  certificate,  promissory  note,  or  other  paper,  or  the 
paper  of  any  bank,  to  circulate  as  money.  The  General 
Assembly  of  this  State  shall  prohibit,  by  law,  any  person 
or  persons,  association,  company,  or  corporation,  from  exer- 
cising the  privileges  of  banking,  or  creating  paper  to  circu- 
late as  money. 

2.  Corporations  shall  not  be  created  in  this  State  by 
special  laws,  except  for  political  or  municipal  purposes ;  but 
the  General  Assembly  shall  provide,  by  general  laws,  for 
the  organization  of  all  other  corporations,  except  corpora- 
tions with  banking  privileges,  the  creation  of  which  is  pro- 
hibited. The  stockholders  shall  be  subject  to  such  liabili- 
ties and  restrictions  as  shall  be  provided  by  law.  The 
State  shall  not,  directly  or  indirectly,  become  a  stockholder 
in  any  corporation. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

Education  and  School  Land.  —  1.  The  General  As- 
sembly shall  provide  for  the  election,  by  the  people,  of  a 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  who  shall  hold  his 
office  for  three  years,  and  whose  duties  shall  be  prescribed 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  227 

by  law,  and  who  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the 
General  Assembly  may  direct. 

2.  The  General  Assembly  shall  encourage,  by  all  suit- 
able means,  the  promotion  of  intellectual,  scientific,  moral, 
and  agricultural  improvement.     The  proceeds  of  all  lands 
that  have  been,  or  hereafter  may  be  granted  by  the  United 
States  to  this  State,  for  the  support  of  schools,  which  shall 
hereafter  be  sold   or  disposed   of,  and   the   five   hundred 
thousand  acres  of  land  granted  to  the  new  States,  under 
an  act  of  Congress,  distributing  the  proceeds  of  the  public 
lands   among  the  several  States  of  the   Union,  approved 
A.  D.  1841,  and  all  estates  of  deceased  persons,  who  may 
have  died  without  leaving  a  will  or  heir;  and  also  such 
per  cent,  as  may  be  granted  by  Congress  on  the  sale  of 
lands  in  this  State,  shall  be,  and  remain  a  perpetual  fund, 
the  interest  of  which,  together  with  all  the  rents  of  the 
unsold  lands,  and  such  other  means   as  the  General  As- 
sembly may  provide,  shall  be  inviolably  appropriated  to 
the  support  of  common  schools  throughout  the  State. 

3.  The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  for  a  system  of 
common  schools,  by  which  a  school  shall  be  kept  up,  and 
supported,  in  each  school  district,  at  least  three  months  in 
every  year ;  and  any  school  district  neglecting  to  keep  up, 
and  support  such  a  school,  may  be  deprived  of  its  propor- 
tion of  the  interest  of  the  public  fund  during  such  neglect. 

4.  The  money  which   shall  be  paid  by  persons  as  an 
equivalent  for  exemption  from  military  duty,  and  the  clear 
proceeds  of  all  fines  collected  in  the  several  counties  for 
any  breach  of  the  penal  laws,  shall  be  exclusively  applied, 


2L8  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

in  the  several  counties  in  which  such  money  is  paid,  or 
fine  collected,  among  the  several  school  districts  of  said 
counties,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  inhabitants  ia 
such  districts,  to  the  support  of  common  schools,  or  the 
establishment  of  libraries,  as  the  General  Assembly  shall, 
from  time  to  time,  provide  by  law. 

5.  The  General  Assembly  shall  take  measures  for  the 
'  protection,  improvement,  or  other  disposition  of  such  lands 
as  have  been,  or  may  hereafter  be  reserved  or  granted  by 
the  United  States,  or  any  person  or  persons,  to  the  State 
for  the  use  of  a  University;  and  the  funds  accruing  from 
the  rents  or  sale  of  such  lands,  or  from  any  other  source, 
for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  shall  be,  and  remain  a  perma- 
nent fund,  the  interest  of  which  shall  be  applied  to  the 
support  of  said  University,  with  such  branches  as  the  pub- 
lic convenience  may  hereafter  demand  for  the  promotion  of 
literature,  the  arts  and  sciences,  as  may  be  authorized  by 
the  terms  of  such  grant.  And  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
General  Assembly,  as  soon  as  may  be,  to  provide  effectual 
means  for  the  improvement  and  permanent  security  of  tho 
funds  of  said  University. 

ARTICLE  X. 

Amendments  of  the  Constitution.  —  1.    If  at  any  tim 
the  General  Assembly  shall  think  it  necessary  to  revise  o 
amend  this  Constitution,  they  shall  provide  by  law  for  - 
vote  of  the  people  for  or  against  a  Convention,  at  the  next 
ensuing  election  for  members  of  the  General  Assembly :  in 
case  a  majority  of  the  people  vote  in  favor  of  a  Convention, 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  229 

• 

said  General  Assembly  shall  provide  for  an  election  of 
Delegates  to  a  Convention,  to  be  held  within  six  months 
after  the  vote  of  the  people  in  favor  thereof. 

ARTICLE  'XL 

;  Miscellaneous.  —  1.  The  jurisdiction  of  Justices  of  the 
Peace  shall  extend  to  all  civil  cases,  (except  cases  in  Chan- 
cery, and  cases  where  the  question  of  title  to  any  real 
estate  may  arise,)  where  the  amount  in  controversy  does 
not  exceed  one  hundred  dollars,  and  by  the  consent  of 
parties  may  be  extended  to  any  amount  not  exceeding  five 
hundred  dollars. 

2.  No  new  county  shall  be  laid  off  hereafter,  nor  old 
county  reduced,  to  less  contents  than  four  hundred  and 
thirty-two  square  miles. 

3.  The  General  Assembly  shall  not  locate  any  of  the 
public  lands,  which  have  been,  or  may  be  granted  by  Con- 
gress to  this  State ;  and  the  location  of  which  may  be  given 
to  the    General   Assembly,  upon   lands   actually  settled, 
without  the  consent  of  the  occupant.     The  extent  of  the 
claim  of  such  occupant,  so  exempted,  shall  not  exceed 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 

ARTICLE  XII. 

Schedule.  —  1.  That  no  inconvenience  may  arise  from 
the  change  of  a  Territorial  government  to  a  permanent 
State  Government,  it  is  declared  that  all  writs,  actions, 
prosecutions,  contracts,  claims  and  rights,  shall  continue  as 
if  no  change  had  taken  place  in  this  government;  and  all 
process  which  may,  before  the  organization  of  the  judicial 
20 


230  CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA. 

department  under  this  Constitution,  be  issued  under  the 
authority  of  the  Territory  of  Iowa,  shall  be  as  valid  as  if 
issued  in  the  name  of  the  State. 

2.  All  the  laws  now  in  force  in  this  Territory,  which  are 
not  repugnant  to  this  Constitution,  shall  remain  in  force 
until  they  expire  by  their  own  limitations,  or  be  altered  or 
repealed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  this  State. 

3.  All  fines,  penalties,  and  forfeitures,  accruing  to  the 
Territory  of  Iowa,  shall  accrue  to  the  use  of  the  State. 

4.  All  recognizances  heretofore  taken,   or  which  may 
hereafter  be  taken,  before  the  organization  of  the  judicial 
department  under  this    Constitution,   shall  remain  valid, 
and  shall  pass  to,  and  may  be  prosecuted  in  the  name  of 
the  State.     And  all  bonds  executed  to  the  Governor  of 
this  Territory,  or  to  any  other  officer  in  his  official  capacity, 
shall  pass  over  to  the  Governor  of  this  State,  or  other  pro- 
per State  authority,  and  to  their  successors  in  office,  for 
the  uses  therein  respectively  expressed,  and  may  be  sued 
for,  and  recovered  accordingly.     All  criminal  prosecutions 
and  penal  actions,  which  have  arisen,  or  may  arise,  before 
ihe  organization  of  the  judicial  department,  under  this  Con- 
stitution, and  which  shall  then  be  pending,  may  be  prose- 
cuted to  judgment  and  execution  in  the  name  of  the  State. 

5.  All  officers,  civil  and  military,  now  holding  their  offices 
and  appointments  in  this  Territory,  under  the  authority  of 
the  United  States,  or  under  the  authority  of  this  Territory, 
shall  continue  to  hold  and  execute  their  respective  offices 
and  appointments  until  superseded  under  this  Constitution. 

6.  The  first  general  election   under  this  Constitution, 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  231 

shall  be  held  at  such  time  as  the  Governor  of  the  Terri- 
tory, by  proclamation,  may  appoint,  within  three  months 
after  its  adoption,  for  the  election  of  a  Governor,  two 
Representatives  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
(unless  Congress  shall  provide  for  the  election  of  one 
Representative),  members  of  the  General  Assembly,  and 
one  Auditor,  Treasurer,  and  Secretary  of  State.  Said 
election  shall  be  conducted  in  accordance  with  the  existing 
election  laws  of  this  Territory,  and  said  Governor,  Repre- 
sentatives in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  Auditor, 
Treasurer,  and  Secretary  of  State,  duly  elected  at  said 
election,  shall  continue  to  discharge  the  duties  of  their 
respective  offices  for  the  time  prescribed  by  this  Constitu- 
tion, and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified. 
The  returns  of  said  election  shall  be  made  in  conformity  to 
the  existing  laws  of  this  Territory. 

7.  Until  the  first  enumeration  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
State,  as  directed  by  this  Constitution,  the  following  shall 
be  the  appointment  of  the  General  Assembly: 

The  County  of  Lee  shall  be  entitled  to  two  Senators, 
and  five  Representatives;  the  County  of  Van  Buren,  two 
Senators,  and  four  Representatives ;  the  Counties  of  Davis 
and  Appanoose,  one  Senator,  and  one  Representative, 
jointly;  the  Counties  of  Wapello  and  Monroe,  one  Sena- 
tor, jointly,  and  one  Representative,  each ;  the  Counties  of 
Marion,  Polk,  Dallas,  and  Jasper,  one  Senator,  and  two  Re- 
presentatives, jointly;  the  County  of  Des  Moines,  two  Sena- 
tors, and  four  Representatives;  the  County  of  Jefferson,  one 
Senator,  and  three  Representatives ;  the  County  of  Henry, 
one  Senator,  and  three  Representatives;  the  Counties  of 


232  CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA. 

Louisa  and  Washington,  one  Senator,  jointly,  and  one 
Representive,  each ;  the  Counties  of  Keokuk  and  Mahaska, 
one  Senator,  jointly,  and  one  Representative,  each  ;  the 
Counties  of  Muscatine,  Johnson,  and  Iowa,  one  Senator, 
and  one  Representative,  jointly;  Muscatine,  one  Represen- 
tative, and  Johnson  and  Iowa,  one  Representative,  jointly; 
the  Counties  of  Scott  and  Clinton,  one  Senator,  jointly, 
and  one  Representative,  each ;  the  Counties  of  Cedar, 
Linn,  and  Benton,  one  Senator,  jointly;  the  County  of 
Cedar,  one  Representative,  and  the  Counties  of  Linn  and 
Benton,  one  Representative,  jointly;  the  Counties  of  Jack- 
son, and  Jones,  one  Senator,  and  two  Representatives ;  the 
Counties  of  Dubuque,  Delaware,  Clayton,  Fayette,  Bu- 
chanan, and  Black  Hawk,  two  Senators,  and  two  Repre- 
sentatives, jointly;  and  any  county  attached  to  any  county 
for  judicial  purposes,  shall,  unless  otherwise  provided  for, 
be  considered  as  forming  part  of  such  county  for  election 
purposes. 

8.  The  first  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly,  under 
this  Constitution,  shall  be  at  such  time  as  the  Governor  of 
the  Territory  may,  by  proclamation,  appoint,  within  four 
months  after  its  ratification  by  the  people,  at  Iowa  City,  in 
Johnson  County,  which  place  shall  be  the  seat  of  Govern- 
ment of  the  State  of  Iowa,  until  removed  by  law. 

Done  in  Convention,  at  Iowa  City,  this  18th  day  of 
May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  forty-six,  and  of  the  Independence  of 
the  United  States  the  seventieth. 


CONSTITUTION    OF    IOWA.  233 

In  Testimony  Whereof,  We  have  hereunto  subscribed 
our  names :  ENOS  LOWE,  President. 

Attest,  WM.  THOMPSON,  Sec. 

Thomas  Dibble,  Erastus  Hoskin,  David  Galland,  Suli- 
fand  S.  Ross,  Shepherd  Leffler,  Curtis  Bates,  Wm.  G. 
Coop,  John  Ronalds,  Samuel  A.  Bissell,  Socrates  H. 
Tryon,  Wareham  G.  Clark,  William  Hubbel,  John  J. 
Selman,  George  Berry,  John  Conrey,  Josiah  Kent,  Joseph 
H.  Hedrick,  Sylvester  G.  Matson,  S.  B.  Shelledy,  James 
Grant,  George  Hobson,  H.  P.  Haun,  Stewart  Goodrell, 
Sanford  Harned,  David  Olmstead,  G.  W.  Bowie,  Alvin 
Saunders,  William  Steele,  T.  McCraney,  F.  K.  O'Ferrall, 
J.  Scott  Richman. 

ORDINANCE. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  Convention  assembled  to  form  a 
Constitution  for  the  State  of  Iowa,  in  behalf  of  the  people 
of  said  State,  that  the  following  propositions  shall  be  made 
to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  which,  if  assented 
to  by  that  body,  shall  .be  obligatory  on  this  State. 

1.  Section  number  sixteen  in  every  surveyed  township 
of  public  lands,  and  where  such  section  has  been  disposed 
of,  other  lands,  equivalent  thereto,  and  as  contiguous  as 
may  be,  shall  be  granted  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  Com- 
mon Schools. 

2.  Seventy-two  sections  of  land  set  apart  and  reserved 
for  the  use  and  support  of  a  University,  by  an  act  of  Con- 
gress approved   on  the  twentieth  of  July,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty,  entitled  "  An  act  granting  two 

20* 


234  CONSTITUTION    OP    IOWA. 

townships  of  land  for  the  use  of  a  University  in  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Iowa,"  shall  be  applied  solely  for  the  use  and 
support  of  such  University,  in  such  manner  as  the  General 
Assembly  may  direct. 

3.  That  one  quarter  section  of  land  in  each  township 
be  granted  to  the  State  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  a 
Common  School  library  for  the  use  of  such  township. 

4.  That  five  per  cent,  of  the  nett  proceeds  of  the  sales 
of  all  public  lands  lying  within  this  State,  which  shall  be 
Bold  by  Congress  after  the  admission  of  the  State  into  the 
Union,  shall  be  granted  to  the  State,  for  the  use  of  Com- 
mon Schools. 

That,  in  consideration  of  the  grants  specified  in  the  four 
foregoing  propositions,  it  is  declared,  that  this  State  will 
never  interfere  with  the  primary  disposal  of  the  soil  within 
the  same,  by  the  United  States,  nor  with  any  regulations 
Congress  may  find  necessary,  for  securing  the  title  in  such 
soil  to  the  bona  fide  purchaser  thereof;  and  that  no  tax 
shall  be  imposed  on  lands,  the  property  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  in  no  case  shall  non-resident  proprietors 
be  taxed  higher  than  resident. 


STATE    OFFICERS,    ETC.  235 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

STATE   OFFICERS  AND   CONGRESSMEN,   FROM  THE  ADMIS- 
SION INTO   THE   UNION   TO   THE  PRESENT   TIME. 

QOVEENOE. — Term,  4  Years. 

Beginning  of  Term. 

1.  Ansel  Briggs November  30,  1846. 

2.  Stephen   Hempstead December   2,1850. 

3.  James  W.  Grimes "  3,1854. 

SECRETARY  OF  STATE. — Term,  2  Years. 

1.  Elisha  Cutler,  Jr November  30,  1846. 

2.  Josiah  H.  Bonney December    2,  1848. 

8.  George  W.  McCleary  (3  terms,) "          2,  1850. 

AUDITOR  OF  STATE. — Term,  2  Yearji. 

1.  Joseph  T.  Fales  (2  terms,) November  30,  1840. 

2.  William  Pattee  (2  terms,) December    2,  1850. 

8.  A.  J.  Stevens "          8,1854, 

TREASURER  OF  STATE. — Term,  2  Years. 

1.  Morgan  Reno  (2  terms,) November  80,  1846. 

2.  Israel  Kister  December    2,  1850. 

8.  M.  L.  Morris  (2  terms,) "          2,  1852. 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION. — Term,  3  Years. 

Elected. 

1.  James  Harlan,  (election  declared  illegal,) April,  1847. 

2.  Thomas  H.  Benton,  Jr.,  (2  terms,) "     1848. 

8.  James  D.  Eads "      1854. 


236  STATE    OFFICERS,    ETC. 

BOARD  OF  PUBLIC  WORKS. — Term,  2  Tears. 

Elected. 

1.  HughW.  Sample,  President,  August  2,  1847. 

1.  Charles  Corkery,  Secretary, "         " 

1.  Paul  Bratton,  Treasurer, "         " 

2.  William  Patterson,  President "     6,  1849. 

2.  Jesse  Williams,  feretory, "         " 

3.  George  Gillaspy,  Treasurer, "         " 

The  second  Board  was  legislated  out  of  office  on  the  1st  of 

February,  1851. 

COMMISSIONER  AND  REGISTER  OF  THE  DES  MOINES  RIVER 
IMPROVEMENT. — Term,  2  Years. 

1.  V.  P.  Antwerp,  Commissioner,  ...  appointed  from  Feb.  1,  1853. 

2.  Josiah  H.  Bonney,         "  elected,  April  4,  1853. 

1.  George  Gillaspy,  Register, appointed,  February  1,  1851. 

2.  Paul  Jeffers,  "         "  "  1852. 

3.  George  Gillaspy,      "        elected,  April  4,  1853. 

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. — Term,  2  Tears. 

1.  D.  C.  Cloud August  1,  1853. 

2.  " August  7,  1854. 

THE  EXECUTIVE,  IN  1855. 
JAMES  W.  GRIMES,  of  Burlington,  Governor. 
George  W.  McCleary,  Iowa  City,  Secretary  of  State. 
John    Pattee,  Fort  DCS  Moines,  Auditor. 
M.  L.  Morris,  Iowa  City,  Treasurer. 

James  D.  Eads,  Iowa  City,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 
D.  C.  Cloud,  Muscatine,  A  ttorney- General. 
Wm.  McKay,  Commissioner  of  the  Des  Moines  River  Improvement. 
John  C.  Lockwood,  Register  of  the  Des  Moines  River  Improvement. 
Anson  Hart,  Register  of  the  Land  Office. 

THE  LEGISLATURE. 

Maturin  L.  Fisher,  President  of  the  Senate. 
Reuben  Noble,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


STATE    OFFICERS,    ETC.  237 

CONGRESSIONAL  DELEGATION. 

George  W.  Jones,  of  Dubuque,  Senator, Term  expires,  1859. 

James  Harlan,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,     "        "         "          1861. 

Augustus  Hall,  of  Keosauqua,  Representative. 
James  Thorington,  of  Davenport,         " 

THE  JUDICIARY. 
Supreme  Court. 

George  G.  Wright,  Keosauqua,  Chief  Justice. 
W.  G.  Woodward,  Muscatine,  Associate  Justice. 
N.  W.  Isbell,  Marion,  "  « 

William    Vandever,  Iowa  City,  Clerk. 

District  Court  for  Iowa. 
J.  M.  Love,  of  Dubuque,  Judge. 
J.  C.  Knapp,  of  Keosnuqua,  District  Attorney. 
Laurel  Summers,  of  Le  Claire,  Marshal. 
Warner  Lewis,  of  Dubuque,  Surveyor-General. 

Note. — The  election  for  Governor,  State  Officers,  and  Board  of 
Public  Works  is  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  August.  The  term 
of  service  of  the  Governor  and  State  Officers  commences  on  the 
first  Monday  in  December  following  the  election. 


Times  of  Holding  Elections. 

1.  General  Election  —  Is  held  1st  Monday  in  August, 
every  two  years.  Time  of  holding  next  General  Election 
will  be  August,  1856.  Officers  elected :  A  Governor,  once 
in  four  years ;  a  State  Senator,  once  in  four  years ;  a  Secre- 
tary, Treasurer,  and  Auditor  of  State,  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
Clerk  of  the  District  Court,  Representatives  to  the  General 
Assembly,  and  Representatives  to  Congress,  every  two 
years. 


238  STATE    OFFICERS,    ETC. 

2.  August  Election  —  Is   held   1st  Monday  in  August, 
every  two  years,  alternate  with  the  years  of  the  General 
Election.     Officers  elected :    County  Judge,  once  in    two 
years ;  Sheriff,  Coroner,  Recorder,  and  Surveyor,  every  two 
years. 

3.  April  Election  —  Is  held  annually,  1st  Monday  in 
April.     Officers  elected :   Judge  of  District  Court,  once  in 
five  years ;   Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  once  in 
three  years;  School  Fund  Commissioner,  once  in  two  years; 
three  Township  Trustees,  a  Clerk,  two  Constables,  and  an 
Assessor,  every  year ;  two  Justices  of  the  Peace  (or  as  many 
as  the  Trustees  of  each  township  may  direct,)  every  two 
years  (one  being  elected  each  year). 

4.  Presidential  Election  —  Is  holden  1st  Tuesday  after 
the  1st  Monday  in  November,  1856,  and  every  four  years 
thereafter,  for  the  election  of  Electors  of  President  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  the  number  of  whom  is  equal 
to  the  number  of  Senators  and  Representatives  in  Congress 
to  which  this  State  may  be  entitled. 

5.  City  Elections  —  Held  at  such  times  as  fixed  by  the 
charter,  or  as  regulated  by  ordinance ;  electing  Mayor,  Mar- 
shal, Clerk,  Treasurer,  and  Aldermen. 


JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS.  239 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

JUDICIAL   DISTRICTS. — TIMES   OP   HOLDING   COURTS. 

First  District. — Composed  of  the  counties  of  Lee,  Des 
Moines,  Louisa,  and  Henry.  Term  of  court  held : 

In  Lee  County,  at  Keokuk,  on  the  second  Monday  of 
February,  and  the  first  Monday  of  September. 

At  Fort  Madison,  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first 
Monday  in  April,  and  the  fourth  Monday  in  October. 

In  Des  Moines,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in  April,  and  the 
second  Monday  in  November. 

In  Louisa,  on  the  second  Monday  in  March,  and  the  first 
Monday  in  October. 

In  Henry,  on  the  third  Monday  in  March,  and  the  se- 
cond Monday  in  October. 

Second  District. — Consisting  of  the  counties  of  Dubuque, 
Delaware,  Clayton,  Alamakee,  Winneshiek,  Fayette,  Bu- 
chanan, Black  Hawk,  Bremer,  Chickasaw,  and  Howard. 
Terms  of  Court  are  held  : 

In  the  County  of  Dubuque,  on  the  first  Monday  in  Oc- 
tober, and  the  fourth  Monday  in  March. 

In  the  County  of  Clayton,  on  the  fourth  Mondays  in 
May  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Alamakee,  on  the  first  Mondays  in 
June  and  November. 


240  JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS. 

In  the  County  of  Fayette,  on  the  second  Mondays  in 
June  and  November. 

In  the  County  of  Delaware,  on  the  third  Mondays  in 
June  and  November,  and  in  all  other  counties  at  such  times 
and  places  as  the  judge  may  direct. 

Third  District. — Terms  of  Court,  as  follows,  in  the 
Third  District : 

In  the  County  of  Mahaska,  on  the  first  Monday  in  Feb- 
ruary, and  first  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Wapello,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in 
February,  and  fourth  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Davis,  on  the  second  Monday  after  the 
fourth  Monday  in  February,  and  on  the  second  Monday  in 
October. 

In  the  County  of  Van  Buren,  on  the  fourth  Monday 
after  the  fourth  Monday  of  February,  and  on  the  fourth 
Monday  of  October. 

In  the  County  of  Jefferson,  on  the  second  Monday  in 
April  and  November. 

In  the  County  of  Keokuk,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in 
April,  and  on  the  third  Monday  in  September. 

Fourth  District. — Times  of  holding  Court  as  follows  : 

In  the  County  of  Johnson,  on  the  first  Monday  of  Feb- 
ruary and  June,  and  second  Monday  in  October. 

In  the  County  of  Linn,  on  the  first  Monday  in  April  and 
September. 

In  the  County  of  Benton,  on  the  third  Monday  in  April 
and  September. 


JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS.  241 

In  thd  County  of  Washington,  on  the  fourth  Mondays 
in  April  and  September. 

In  the  County  of  Iowa,  on  the  first  Monday  in  May,  and 
the  fourth  Monday  in  October. 

In  the  County  of  Powesheik,  on  the  third  Monday  in 
May. 

In  the  County  of  Tama,  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  May. 

Fifth  District. — In  the  County  of  Marion,  on  the  second 
Monday  in  February,  and  fourth  Monday  in  August. 

In  the  County  of  Polk,  on  the  third  Monday  in  March, 
and  the  second  Monday  in  August. 

In  the  County  of  Jasper,  on  the  second  Monday  in  April 
and  September. 

In  the  County  of  Marshall,  on  the  third  Monday  in 
April  and  September. 

In  the  County  of  Hardin,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in 
April. 

In  the  County  of  Story,  on  the  first  Monday  in  May. 

In  the  County  of  Boone,  on  the  second  Monday  in  May 
and  the  fourth  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Webster,  on  the  first  Monday  in  Oc- 
tober. ' 

In  the  County  of  Greene,  on  the  third  Monday  in  May. 

In  the  County  of  Dallas,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in  May, 
and  the  second  Monday  in  October. 

Sixth  and  Seventh  Districts. — In  the  County  of  Fre- 
mont, on  the  first  Monday  in  March  and  September. 
21 


242  JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS. 

In  the  County  of  Page,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in  March 
and  September. 

In  the  County  of  Taylor,  on  the  Thursday  after  the 
fourth  Monday  of  March  and  September. 

In  the  County  of  Adams,  on  the  first  Monday  in  April 
and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Guthrie,  on  the  second  Monday  in 
April  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Cass,  on  the  Thursday  after  the  second 
Monday  in  April  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Mills,  on  the  second  Monday  in  March 
and  September. 

In  the  County  of  Pottawattamie,  on  the  first  Monday  in 
April  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Harrison,  on  the  first  Monday  in  May 
and  November. 

In  the  County  of  Shelby,  on  the  Thursday  after  the  first 
Monday  in  May  and  November. 

In  the  County  of  Woodbury,  oil  the  first  Monday  in 
September. 

In  all  other  counties  at  such  time  and  place  as  the  Judge 
may  appoint. 

Eighth  District. — Composed  of  the  counties  of  Musca- 
tine,  Scott,  Cedar,  Jones,  Clinton,  and  Jackson. 

In  the  County  of  Jackson,  on  the  fourth  Monday  in 
April,  and  second  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Clinton,  on  the  first  Monday  after  the 
fourth  Monday  in  April,  and  third  Monday  in  September. 


JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS.  243 

In  the  County  of  Cedar,  on  the  second  Monday  after  the 
fourth  Monday  in  April,  and  fourth  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Scott,  on  the  third  Monday  after  the 
fourth  Monday  in  April,  and  first  Monday  after  the  fourth 
Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Muscatine,  on  the  fourth  Monday  after 
the  first  Monday  in  April,  and  second  Monday  after  the 
fourth  Monday  in  September. 

Ninth  District. — Composed  of  the  counties  of  Monroe, 
Appanoose,  Wayne,  Decatur,  Lucas,  Clarke,  Warren,  and 
Madison. 

In  the  County  of  Monroe,  on  the  third  Monday  in  April, 
and  first  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Appanoose,  on  the  second  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  April,  and  third  Monday  in  Septem- 
ber. 

In  the  County  of  Wayne,  on  the  fourth  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  April,  and  the  second  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Decatur,  on  the  fifth  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  April,  and  third  Monday  after  the  third 
Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Clark,  on  the  sixth  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  April,  and  fourth  Monday  after  the  third 
Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Madison,  on  the  seventh  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  April,  and  fifth  Monday  after  the  third 
Monday  in  September. 


244  JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS. 

In  the  County  of  Warren,  on  the  eighth  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  April,  and  the  sixth  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  September. 

In  the  County  of  Lucas,  on  the  ninth  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  April,  and  the  seventh  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  September. 

Tenth  District. — Composed  of  the  counties  of  Clayton, 
Alamakee,  Winnesheik,  Fayette,  Chickasaw,  Floyd,  Mit- 
chell, Howard,  Worth,  and  Cerro  Gordo. 

In  the  County  of  Clayton,  on  the  third  Monday  in  May 
and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Fayette,  on  the  first  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  May  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Chickasaw,  on  the  second  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  May  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Floyd,  on  the  third  Monday  after  the 
third  Monday  in  May  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Winnesheik,  on  the  fourth  Monday 
after  the  third  Monday  in  May  and  October. 

In  the  County  of  Alamakee,  on  the  fifth  Monday  after 
the  third  Monday  in  May  and  October. 


EDUCATION.  245 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

EDUCATION. 

School  System. — A  very  liberal  provision  is  made  for 
the  permanent  support  of  common  and  academic  institu- 
tions in  this  State.  By  an  act  of  Congress,  500,000  acres 
of  land  have  been  set  apart  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause 
of  education.  Some  of  these  lands  have  been  sold,  and  the 
proceeds  safely  invested  for  the  use  of  schools.  Much,  how- 
ever, remains  in  the  market,  and  will  be  disposed  of  as  the 
wants  and  interests  of  these  nurseries  of  knowledge  demand. 

There  is  about  $1,000,000  in  the  hands  of  the  School 
Fund  Commissioners,  within  the  State,  which  is  loaned  at 
ten  per  cent.,  yielding  an  income  of  nearly  $100,000.  This 
amount,  distributed  among  the  schools,  places  them  upon 
a  footing  not  surpassed  by  any  new  State  in  the  north-west. 
State  University  of  Iowa. 

This  institution  opened  on  the  third  Wednesday  of  Sep- 
tember. It  has  been  permanently  located  at  Iowa  City, 
the  site  of  the  Capitol,  and  is  to  have  the  use  of  the  public 
buildings,  together  with  ten  acres  of  land,  on  which  they 
are  situated.  Two  townships  of  land,  granted  by  act  of 
Congress,  July  20th,  1840,  for  the  support  of  a  uni- 
versity, have  been  donated  by  the  State  to  this  institution, 
and  constitute  a  permanent  fund,  for  its  support. 

The  following  advantages  are  possessed  by  this  institution : 

1st.  It  is  the  People's  Institution,  and  every  citizen  of 
the  State  is  interested  in  it. 
21* 


246  EDUCATION. 

2d.  It  is  entirely  free  from  sectarian  influence  and  bias. 

3d.  It  has  an  endowment  of  between  8175,000  and 
$200,000,  which  places  it  upon  a  basis  second  to  none  in  the 
Union,  and  enables  the  trustees  to  sustain  a  competent 
number  of  efficient  and  educated  men  in  the  faculty. 

4th.  Its  library  and  apparatus,  when  complete,  (probably 
during  this  year),  will  be  superior  to  any  in  the  We§t. 

5th.  It  is  favourably  located,  in  respect  to  health,  good 
society,  and  beautiful  and  romantic  scenery. 
Faculty. 

AMOS  DEAN,  LL.  D.,  President,  and  Professor  of  His- 
tory. ALEX.  JOHNSTON,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Mathematics. 
HENRY  S.  WELTON,  A.  M.,  Professor  of  Ancient  Lan- 
guages. JAMES  HALL,  Professor  of  Natural  History. 
JOSIAH  D.  WHITNEY,  Professor  of  Chemistry.  E.  M. 
GUFFIN,  A.  M.,  Preparatory  Department.  JOHN  VANVAL- 
KENBERG,  Normal  School. 

There  is  a  Normal  School  connected  with  the  University, 
to  which  fifty  students  are  entitled  to  go  free  of  charge,  by 
receiving  an  appointment  from  the  Governor,  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction,  or  from  either  of  the  District 
Judges.  The  State  University  is  amply  endowed,  so  that 
all  may  be  admitted  free,  but  probably  not  the  first  year. 

Branch  at  Fairfield. — One  branch  of  the  State  Univer- 
sity is  established  at  Fairfield,  Jefferson  County,  and  is  put 
upon  the  same  footing  with  respect  to  funds  and  other  de- 
tails, as  the  present  Seminary. 

Branch  at  Dubuque. — Another  branch  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity is  to  be  established  at  Dubuque.  The  trustees  have 


EDUCATION.  247 

been  appointed,  the  site  selected,  and  most  of  the  measures 
necessary  to  the  enterprise  taken. 

Normal  Schools. — The  State  is  divided  into  three  dis- 
tricts, in  each  of  which  there  was  to  be  established  a  Nor- 
mal School,  for  the  education  of  teachers  for  our  common 
schools.  The  law  establishing  these  schools,  located  them 
at  Oskaloosa,  Mount  Pleasant,  and  Andrew. 

District  Schools. — Of  these,  Jas.  D.  Eads,  Esq.,  late 
State  Superintendent,  says  :  "  In  many  of  the  older  coun- 
ties that  I  have  travelled  through,  the  citizens  have  gone  to 
work  with  a  liberal  and  praiseworthy  spirit,  in  erecting  large 
and  commodious  buildings  for  educational  purposes.  The 
city  of  Keokuk  takes  the  lead  in  having  the  finest  building 
in  the  State,  in  the  erection  of  which  the  citizens  have  ex- 
pended nearly  ten  thousand  dollars ;  and  with  a  liberal  spi- 
rit, they  pay  the  Superintendent  of  the  school  eight  hun- 
dred dollars  per  annum. 

"  Fort  Madison,  Burlington,  Muscatine,  Davenport,  Ly- 
ons, Anamosa,  Colesburgh,  Marion,  Rochester,  Tipton, 
Denmark,  Primrose,  West  Point,  Centreville,  Oskaloosa, 
Cedar  Falls,  and  many  other  towns,  have  erected  buildings 
which  will  stand  as  lasting  monuments  of  the  liberality  of 
those  engaged  in  so  glorious  an  enterprise,  and  an  honour  to 
our  young  State. 

"  Iowa,  young  as  she  is,  already  commands  a  prominent 
position,  not  only  in  reference  to  the  magnitude  of  her 
School  Fund,  but  in  the  progress  she  has  made  in  the  orga- 
nization of  her  districts,  and  the  general  establishment  of 
free  schools. 


248  EDUCATION. 

"According  to  the  returns  of  the  County  Commissioners, 
there  are  twenty-three  hundred  and  fifty-five  organized 
school  districts  in  Iowa,  and  over  one  hundred  and  eleven 
thousand  children  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one 
years.  When  we  consider,  in  connection  with  these  facts, 
that  our  population  is  increasing  with  a  rapidity  almost  un- 
paralleled in  the  history  of  any  country,  and  that  in  a  very 
few  years  we  shall  equal  in  numbers  the  most  populous  of 
the  Eastern  States,  it  becomes  apparent  that  we  cannot  be 
too  active  and  vigilant  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  education 
of  the  youth  of  our  State,  who  are  so  soon  to  control  the 
destiny  of  a  great  Commonwealth. 

"While  we  congratulate  ourselves  upon  the  possession 
of  so  magnificent  a  school  fund,  as  has  been  secured  to  us 
by  the  action  of  the  General  Government,  and  our  State 
Legislature,  we  must  not  forget  that  much  remains  to  be 
done  on  the  part  of  the  people  themselves,  before  we  shall 
fully  enjoy  the  advantages  of  a  universal  system  of  free 
schools,  of  a  character  commensurate  with  the  object  of  their 
organization,  viz. :  to  give  to  every  son  and  daughter  of 
Iowa  a  thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  essential  elements  of 
a  good  practical  education. 

"I  have  had  the  pleasure,  during  the  past  season,  of 
visiting  a  large  number  of  union  or  graded  schools,  in  the 
larger  towns  of  the  State,  and  have  been  very  highly  grati- 
fied in  witnessing  the  many  advantages  they  possess,  when 
properly  conducted,  over  those  schools  which  maintain 
separate  organizations. 

"As  appears  from  the  returns  of  the  County  Commis- 


EDUCATION.  249 

sioners,  the  average  dum  paid  to  the  district  school  teacher 
is  less  than  twenty  dollars  to  the  male,  and  less  than  ten 
dollars  per  month  to  female  teachers." 

In  all  the  thickly  settled  counties,  common  schools  are 
convenient,  and  should  the  tide  of  immigration  continue  to 
flow  as  it  has  done,  in  five  years  not  one  county  in  ten  will 
be  destitute  of  the  facilities  for  a  sound  education.  The 
number  and  condition  of  public  schools  are  given  more  par- 
ticularly in  the  sketches  of  the  counties,  in  another  portion 
of  this  work. 

Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  Blind  Asylums. — Institutions  for 
the  instruction  of  these  unfortunate  citizens,  were  organized 
in  1853,  and  have  since  been  in  successful  operation  in 
Iowa  City.  Appropriations  of  $5000  for  the  support  of  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  of  $0000  for  the  support  of  the  Blind 
Institutions,  bave  been  made,  and  the  trustees  have  rented 
suitable  buildings. 

The  number  of  deaf  and  dumb  pupils  admitted  is  32 — 
of  blind,  23. 

These  institutions  bid  fair  to  do  great  service,  even  the 
present  year,  in  extending  to  this  unfortunate  class,  the 
light  and  knowledge  which,  but  for  education,  they  must  be 
deprived  of. 

Academies  and  Colleges.— This  State  is  well  supplied 
with  acadamies  and  colleges,  some  of  which  will  compare 
favorably  with  those  in  the  Atlantic  States,  while  all  reflect 
credit  upon  the  patriotism  and  enterprise  of  the  Hawkeye 
State.  We  give  herein  a  sketch  of  the  condition  of  those 
21* 


£50  EDUCATION. 

of  the  principal  schools  of  this  class,  concerning  which  we 
have  been  able  to  gain  satisfactory  data  : — 

The  Burlington  University. — This  is  a  literary  institu- 
tion of  the  Baptist  denomination,  located  at  Burlington,  in 
April,  1852.  The  college  edifice  was  erected  in  1853-4, 
and  dedicated  on  the  4th  of  July,  1854.  This  building  is  41 
by  65  feet,  three  stories  high,  and  its  style  of  architecture 
and  economic  arrangement  reflect  great  credit  upon  its  found- 
ers and  architects.  The  first  annual  catalogue  of  the  in- 
stitution was  issued  on  the  first  of  January,  1855,  which 
reports  167  pupils,  and  a  faculty  of  eight  different  teachers, 
with  Geo.  W.  Gunnison,  A.  M.,  as  principal.  The  school 
is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  institution  possesses 
available  property  to  the  amount  of  §20,000,  and  is  nearly 
free  from  debt,  besides  $5000  secured  and  drawing  interest, 
as  the  commencement  towards  a  fund  for  enlarging  their 
buildings.  The  plan  of  the  institution  provides  for  prepa- 
ratory and  collegiate  departments,  with  courses  of  study  for 
gentlemen  and  ladies.  The  gentlemen's  course  embraces  7 
years — 3  preparatory,  and  4  collegiate;  the  ladies'  5  years 
— 1  primary,  and  4  advanced.  Those  desiring  further  in- 
formation of  the  institution,  may  address  the  Principal,  at 
Burlington,  or  Rev.  Jas.  A.  Nash,  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  at  Ft.  Des  Moines. 

Alexander  College 

Has  been  recently  established,  at  Dubuque,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Synod  of  Iowa,  but  is  not  intended  to  be 
sectarian  in  its  influence.  A  new  college  building  was 


EDUCATION.  251 

erected  last  year,  60  feet  wide  by  100  feet  long,  and  four 
stories  high,  including  basement ;  computed  cost,  upwards 
of  $15,000.  The  ground  occupied  by  this  College  embraces 
three  acres,  on  the  bluff  one  mile  west  from  Main  Street— 
a  high,  healthy,  and  in  every  respect  desirable  location. 
Situated  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  region  of  country  teeming 
with  the  elements  of  material  wealth,  and  rapidly  filling  up 
with  an  intelligent  and  enterprising  people,  this  College 
cannot  but  succeed. 

The  Central  College  of  Iowa 

Is  pleasantly  situated  in  a  healthy  location,  at  Fort  Des 
Moines,  and  bids  fair  to  become  an  institution  of  the  high- 
est order.  It  is  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  but  is  not  sectarian  in  its  character.  The  aim  of 
the  faculty  will  be  to  exert  a  healthy  moral  influence  upon 
the  student,  and  to  secure  to  him  a  complete  and  finished 
education.  The  main  college  building  will  be  erected  this 
season,  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  For  further  particulars,  ad- 
dress R.  Weiser,  President,  Fort  Des  Moines. 

TJie  Central  University  of  Iowa. 

An  institution  under  the  direction  and  patronage  of  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Iowa,  is  located  at  Pella,  Marion  County. 
A  large  and  substantial  brick  edifice  is  in  course  of  erection, 
and  will  be  completed  in  June,  we  understand.  The  num- 
ber of  students  in  attendance  in  1855,  was  122.  H.  P. 
Scholte,  President;  M.  A.  Clark,  Secretary;  E.  H.  Scarff, 
Principal. 


252  EDUCATION. 

The  Dubuque  Female  Institute 

Is  delightfully  situated  upon  a  natural  terrace — a  high 
bluff  rising  in  the  background — in  the  foreground  lies  the 
beautiful  and  rapidly  growing  city  of  Dubuque,  whose 
wharves  and  levee  are  washed  by  the  noble  Mississippi, 
bearing  on  its  bosom  the  rich  products  of  this  fruitful  land. 
,The  large  and  substantial  brick  edifice  of  this  Institute, 
cost  $16,000.  The  Institution  was  established  three  years 
since,  under  the  patronage  of  Miss  Catharine  Beecher,  and 
offers  every  advantage  to  pupils  which  can  be  enjoyed  in 
any  similar  one  in  the  West. 

Iowa  College. 

This  College,  founded  in  1848,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  New  School  Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists,  is 
located  in  the  north  part  of  the  City  of  Davenport. 

The  grounds  upon  which  it  is  built  consist  of  ten  acres 
of  land,  lying  upon  the  bluff,  beautifully  adorned  with  a 
young  and  thriving  grove,  and  commanding  a  most  de- 
lightful prospect  of  the  prairies  on  the  north,  and  of  the 
Mississippi  Kiver,  with  the  adjacent  cities  on  the  south. 

The  new  building  is  now  occupied  for  college  purposes. 
It  is  constructed  of  limestone  of  the  most  durable  quality. 
It  has  three  stories,  containing  a  large  assembly-room,  a 
laboratory,  rooms  for  library,  cabinet,  apparatus,  literary' 
societies,  and  recitation  rooms.  The  third  story  is  divided 
into  rooms  for  students.  There  is  also  a  spacious  basement 
for  fuel  and  furnaces.  The  expense  of  this  substantial,  yet 
elegant,  structure  is  about  $20,000. 


EDUCATION.  253 

The  College  boarding-house  stands  upon  the  premises, 
at  which  board  is  furnished  to  students  at  $1.50  per  week, 
and  room  rent  at  $2.00  per  term. 

The  Institution,  as  now  arranged,  has  three  departments, 
English,  preparatory,  and  collegiate,  in  each  of  which  the 
course  of  instruction  is  ample  and  thorough.  The  Faculty 
consists  of — 

Rev.  E.  Ripley,  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages. 

Rev.  H.  L.  Bullen,  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natu- 
ral Philosophy. 

D.  S.  Sheldon,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Natural 
Science. 

Rev.  D.  Lane,  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philo- 
sophy. 

The  number  of  students  last  year  was  one  hundred. 

The  library  of  the  college  is  open  to  all  departments. 

Apparatus  is  provided  for  the  illustration  of  Natural  Phi- 
losophy, Physiology,  Chemistry,  Surveying,  and  Astronomy. 
Collections  in  Botany,  Zoology,  and  Mineralogy  have  been 
commenced. 

The  Iowa  Conference  Seminary, 

Located  at  Mount  Vernon,  Linn  County,  has  a  brick 
edifice  40  by  72  feet,  3  stories  high.  This  Institution  is  in 
a  very  prosperous  condition,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Rev.  S.  M.  Fellows,  A.  M.,  assisted  by  three  regular  teach- 
ers, besides  a  female  teacher  of  music,  painting  and  em- 
broidery. This  seminary  is  well  sustained,  and  the  trus- 
22 


254  EDUCATION. 

tees  contemplate  erecting  a  new  college  edifice,  50  by  120 
feet,  four  stories  high.  Mount  Vernon  is  very  pleasantly 
located,  in  a  rich  agricultural  district,  well  settled,  by  in- 
telligent and  industrious  people. 

The  Iowa  Wesleyan  University, 

Under  the  control  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  is  located  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Henry  County,  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
and  healthy  locations  in  the  State,  and  in  the  midst  of  an 
intelligent  and  refined  community.  This  is  a  first-class  col- 
legiate institute,  with  an  able  faculty,  and  had  an  attendance 
last  year  of  254.  The  University  building  is  large  and 
commodious,  3  stories  high,  situated  upon  grounds  laid  out 
in  a  very  handsome  style,  and  ornamented  with  beautiful 
trees  and  fine  shrubbery.  (See  Iowa  Medical  Col- 
lege.) 

The  Mount  Pleasant  High  School  and  Female  Academy, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  100  pupils,  is  also  in  a  pros- 
perous condition,  and  worthy  the  liberal  patronage  it  re- 
ceives. 

Iowa  Medical  College,  Keokuk. 

This  institution  has  been  adopted  as  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Iowa  Wesleyau  University.  The  first  term 
under  the  new  arrangement,  opened  on  the  first  Monday 
of  November  last,  with  flattering  prospects.  Particulars 
of  terms,  &c.,  together  with  all  desired  information, 
may  be  obtained  by  addressing  Hon.  Thos.  W.  Claggett, 
President. 


EDUCATION.  255 

The  State  Lunatic  Asylum  has  been  located  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  and  the  requisite  buildings  will  soon  be  erected 
there. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Iowa,  have  also  decided  upon 
Mount  Pleasant,  as  the  most  eligible  location  for  their 
College,  and  we  presume  the  buildings  will  be  erected 
this  year. 

Iowa  Female  Collegiate  Institute,  at  Iowa  City,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  L  0.  of  0.  F. 

"Articles  of  incorporation  were  adopted  and  recorded  on 
the  29th  of  July,  1853,  which  place  the  institution  under 
the  particular  auspices  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  of  Iowa,  and  secures  in  the  instruction  and  govern- 
ment of  the  school  the  same  broad  and  liberal  basis,  and  the 
same  freedom  from  every  species  of  sectarianism,  which  dis- 
tinguishes that  Order. 

"  It  also  offers  to  all  Lodges  and  Encampments,  contri- 
buting one  hundred  dollars  to  the  funds  of  the  institution, 
a  perpetual  scholarship ;  and  to  each  individual  contributor 
of  the  same  amount,  a  scholarship  for  twenty  years,  or 
during  his  natural  life.  By  this  arrangement  we  hope  to 
be  able,  at  some  future  day,  to  offer  free  instruction  to  all 
poor  orphan  daughters  of  the  Order  in  the  State.  This, 
indeed,  is  a  primary  object  had  in  view  by  the  Board  in  the 
establishment  of  their  institution,  and  will  not  be  lost  sight 
of  in  their  future  plans  and  labor  for  the  permanent  organi- 
zation of  their  school. 


256  EDUCATION. 

"  During  the  past  year  the  attention  of  the  Board  has 
been  directed  chiefly  towards  the  collection  of  funds,  and  to 
the  preparations  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  College  edi- 
fice for  the  use  of  the  institution. 

"  In  this  effort,  very  gratifying  success  has  rewarded  their 
labor.  Notwithstanding  the  protracted  illness  of  their  agent 
has  deprived  the  Board  of  his  services  for  nearly  one-half 
of  the  past  year,  yet  they  are  happy  to  report  the  collection 
of  about  68000  in  cash,  notes,  valid  subscriptions,  and  other 
property,  as  the  result  of  their  efforts. 

"  The  City  Council  at  Iowa  City,  at  their  regular  meeting 
in  September,  1853,  donated  to  the  Board  an  eligible  site 
for  their  College  edifice;  and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
I.  0.  of  0.  F.  of  the  State  of  Iowa  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the 
College,  October  27th,  1853,  with  the  usual  ceremonies  of 
the  Order." 

The  edifice  will  be  completed  and  ready  for  occupation 
at  an  early  day. 

For  further  particulars  address  F.  H.  Lee,  Secretary, 
Iowa  City. 

See  particulars  of  "  Iowa  Conference  Seminary,"  of  Mt. 
Vernon,  and  of  the  "  Iowa  Wesleyan  University,"  "  Mt. 
Pleasant  High  School  and  Female  Academy,"  in  the 
sketches  of  Linn  and  Henry  counties. 

"  Ladies,  College" 

The  above  is  the  name  of  an  educational  institution, 
which  was  established  in  1855,  in  the  city  of  Davenport, 
under  the  direction  of  T.  H.  Codding,  Esq.,  who  is  also 


EDUCATION.  257 

its  proprietor.  The  building,  when  completed,  at  a  cost 
of  $20,000,  will  present  a  front  of  120  feet,  and  four  stories 
in  height,  with  a  depth  of  80  feet.  The  main  building 
was  opened  for  the  reception  of  scholars  on  the  first  of  May. 
Upon  the  selection  of  the  site  for  the  "  Ladies'  College," 
too  much  praise  can  scarcely  be  bestowed.  Standing  upon 
a  lofty  bluff,  it  commands  a  sweep  of  landscape  scarce  ex- 
celled throughout  the  region  of  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
while  the  broad  summit  of  the  hill,  whose  centre  it  decks, 
affords  ample  room  for  extensive  promenades,  and  the  gentle 
slopes  which  decline  towards  the  lowlands,  render  it  easy 
of  access  to  pedestrians  and  carriages. 

The  "Ladies'  College"  aims  to  prepare  young  ladies  for  the 
active  practical  duties  of  life,  by  a  judicious  combination  of 
mental,  moral,  and  physical  training.  Its  proprietor  says : 

"The  course  of  instruction  will  be  thorough,  complete, 
discriminating  and  select,  avoiding  everything  of  a  useless 
character,  and  substituting  those  branches  whose  tendency 
is  to  give  vigor  and  elasticity  to  the  youthful  mind. 

"The  manner  of  teaching  will  be  the  most  approved 
and  improved  known  in  our  country  or  in  Europe,  giving 
the  pupil  the  full  understanding  of  her  subject,  while  it  is 
presented  by  the  teacher  in  a  new  and  fascinating  style." 

To  insure  to  pupils  a  thorough  English  and  classical  edu- 
cation, and  familiarity  with  the  languages,  a  large  corps  of 
experienced  and  accomplished  teachers  have  been  engaged 
as  assistants  to  Mr.  T.  H.  Codding  and  Mrs.  0.  Codding, 
the  Principals  and  Superintendents  of  the  Institute.  The 
fourth  quarter  commenced  Feb.  20th,  1856. 
22* 


258 


RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 

Congregational  Churches. — The  State  of  Iowa  is  divided 
into  five  associations.  The  latest  reports  are  from  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  annual  Association,  in  June,  1854,  as 
follows : — 

No.  of  Members. 

Council  Bluffs  Association,  94  No.  of  Ministers  in  the  State,  73 

Davenport                "          615  «    Churches     "        "       89 

Denmark                 "         759  Meeting  Houses     "        "       44 

Des  Moines  River    "         364  "       building  "        "        5 
Dubuque                  "         657 

2489 

Members  new  churches  > 
not  included i 

2677 

Congregational  churches  are  thus  located :  Council  Bluffs 
Association. — Civil  Bend,  Council  Bluffs,  Tabor,  (Florence, 
N.  T.).  Davenport  Association. — Anamosa,  Copper  Creek, 
.Davenport,  Deep  Creek,  De  Witt,  Le  Claire,  Lyons,  Ma- 
rion, Muscatine,  Sabula,  Sterling,  Sugar  Creek,  Summit, 
Tipton,  Toledo.  Denmark  Association. — Brighton,  Bur- 
lington, Clay,  Columbus,  Crawfordsville,  Danville,  Den- 
mark, Flint,  Hillsboro',  Long  Creek,  Mount  Pleasant 
North  Marion,  Old  Man's  Creek,  Salem,  Trenton,  Wapello, 
Warren,  Wayne.  Des  Moines  River  Association. — Ben- 


BELIQIOUS    WORSHIP. 


259 


tonsport,  Chariton,  Eddyville,  Elk  Creek,  Fairfield,  Farm- 
in  gton,  Keosauqua,  Knoxsville,  Marysville,  Oskaloosa,  Ot- 
tumwa,  Pleasant ville,  Red  Rock.  Dubugue  Association. 
— Bellevue,  Bowen's  Prairie,  Cascade,  Centre,  Colesburg, 
Cottonville,  Decorah,  Dubuque,  Durango,  Farmersburgh, 
French  Settlement,  Garnaville,  Lansing,  Manona,  Maquo- 
keta,  Quasqueton,  Sherold's  Mound,  Teroli,  West  Union, 
Yankee  Settlement. 

Statistical  Table  of  Baptists  in  Iowa. 


Associations. 

Churches. 

Pastors. 

9  M    . 

if  s 

p.  3  t>» 

A* 

No.  of 
Members. 

Date  of  Report. 

Des  Moines  

fll 

11 

247 

1159 

Aug.  25,  1854. 

24 

17 

73 

1078 

Sept  15   1854. 

Oskaloosa  

16 

fi 

32 

502 

Aug.  30,  1854. 

Central  Iowa    

14 

6 

98 

384 

Sept  29   1854 

Fox  River  

17 

7 

69 

628 

Sept.  8,  1854. 

Eden  

10 

8 

300 

102 

49 

519 

4051 

Not  included  in  above 

3 

11 

49 

A  low  estimate. 

105 

60 

519 

4100 

Statistical  History  of  the  Iowa  Baptist  Convention. 


Clerk. 

In.  Preacher. 

1st—  1842. 

Iowa  City, 

Rev   B.  Carpenter, 

Rev.  W.  B.  Morey, 

Rev.  H.  Johnson. 

2d—  1843. 

Davenport, 

Rev    H.  Johnson, 

J.  T.  Falei, 

"    A.  Sherwood. 

3d—  1844. 

Mt.  Pleasant, 

Rev    E.  Fisher, 

C.  G.  Blood, 

'    C.  E    Brown. 

4th—  1845. 

Bloomington 

Rev   H.  Burnett, 

Rev.  C.  E.  Brown, 

W.  B.  Morey. 

6th—  1846. 

Iowa  City.    ' 

Rev  B.  F.  Brabrook, 

J.  T   Fales, 

J.  N.  Seely. 

6th—  1847. 

Farmington, 

J.  T  Fales,  Esq., 

Rev   W.  B.  Morey, 

H.  Burnett. 

7th—  1848. 
8th—  1849. 

Davenport, 
Iowa  City, 

Rev   D.  P.  Smith, 
Rev    B.  F.  Brabrook, 

Rev  T.  H.  Arch,b»ld, 
Rev   T  H.  Archibald, 

D.  P.  Smith. 

9th—  1850. 

Mt.  Pleasant, 

Rev  D.  P.  Smith, 

Rev  S.  B.  Johnson, 

T.  H.  Archibald. 

10th  )  ;  set 

Muscatine, 

J.  T    Fales,  Esq., 

Rev   S.  B.  Johnson, 

G.  J.  Johnson. 

1861  J2«es 

J.  T.  Fales,  Esq., 

Rev  S.  B.  Johnson, 

W.  A.  Welli. 

llth—  1852. 

Mar*    n        ' 

Rev  E.  Gunn, 

Rev   I.  C.  Curtis, 

J.  A.  Nash. 

12th—  1853. 

Keokuk, 

Rev   E.  M.  Miles, 

Rev   Wm.  Turton, 

G.  J.  J.,hnson. 

13th—  1854. 

Davenport, 

Rev  H.  Burnett, 

Rev  H.  B.  Wilbur, 

"    W.  Elliott. 

260  RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 


SYNOD    OF    IOWA.     (N.   S.) 

The  Synod  of  Iowa  consists  of  four  Presbyteries,  as 
follows : 

1.  The  Presbytery  of  Des  Moines,  with  the  churches  of 
Fort  Des  Moines,  Winterset,  Mount  Gideon,  Bloomfield, 
Centreville,  Union,  Troy,  Shunem,  and  Three  Rivers. 

2.  The  Presbytery  of  Keokuk,  with  the   churches  of 
Keokuk,  Oskaloosa,  Croton,   Pleasant   Grove,   Montrose, 
Pisgah,  Fort  Madison,  Yellow  Spring  and  Toolesborough. 

3.  The  Presbytery  of  Iowa  City,  with  the  churches  of 
Iowa  City,  Providence,  Solon,  Cedar  Rapids,  Mount  Vernon, 
Pleasant  Prairie,  Brush  Run,  Marengo,  Benton,  Vinton, 
Centre  Point,  Waterloo,  Cedar  Falls,  Janesville,  Clarks 
ville,  La  Fayette,  Indian  Creek,  Newton,  and  Lyons. 

4.  The  Presbytery  of  Dubuque,  recently  formed,  with 
the  church  of  Dubuque  and  other  congregations  in  that 
part  of  the  State. 

This  Synod  has  a  Church  Erection  Fund  of  about  two 
thousand  dollars,  independent  of  the  Assembly's  fundj 
also  a  college  at  Yellow  Spring,  in  Des  Moines  County, 
together  with  a  female  seminary  at  Keokuk,  and  other 
Academic  institutions  for  both  sexes,  at  Cedar  Rapids, 
Vinton  and  Troy. 

Mr.  L.  B.  Parsons,  late  of  Wyoming,  N.  Y.,  deceased, 
has,  it  is  reported,  bequeathed  property,  valued  at  forty  or 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  for  a  college  connected  with  this 
branch  of  the  church. 


RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP.  261 

PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.      (0.    S.) 

The  Synod  of  Iowa  is  divided  into  three  Presbyteries. 
Having  received  no  statement  for  1855,  we  insert  those 
of  1854  :— 

No.  Members.  No.  Churches. 

1.  Presbytery  of  Iowa 247  24 

2.  Presbytery  of  Cedar 799  47 

3.  Presbytery  of  Des  Moines 787  100 

In  Synod  of  Iowa 1833  171 

Location  of  Presbyterian  Churches. 
First  Presbytery. — Keokuk,  West  Point,  Middletown, 
Morning  Sun,  Mount  Pleasant,  Charleston,  Burlington, 
Lowell,  Spring  Creek,  Fort  Madison,and  Kossuth.  Second 
Presbytery. — Muscatine,  West  Liberty,  Farmer's  Creek, 
Tipton,  Scotch  Grove,  Cascade,  Grandview,  Marion,  Lime 
Grove,  Dubuque,  Davenport,  Iowa  City,  Le  Claire,  Solon, 
Blue  Grass,  Maquoketa,  Postville,  Franckville,  Colesburg, 
Lybrand,  Pleasant  Grove,  Vinton,  Independence,  Hopkin- 
ton,  Lisbon,  Princeton.  Third  Presbytery.  —  Fairfield, 
Libertyville,  Sigourney,  Birmingham,  Winchester,  Oska- 
loosa,  Washington,  Brighton,  Albia,  Crawfordsville,  Troy, 
Keosauqua,  Bentonsport,  Kirkville,  Indianolo,  Ottumwa, 
Knoxville,  and  Fort  Des  Moines. 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN  THE  DIOCESE 
OF  IOWA. 

Organized  Parishes. 

Church  of  the  Advent Danville. 

Christ  Church Burlington. 


262  RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 

Grace  Church Cedar  Rapids. 

Hope  Church , Fort  William. 

St.  James'  Church Oskaloosa. 

St.  John's  Church Keokuk. 

St.  John's  Church Dubuque. 

St.  Paul's  Church Bellevue. 

St.  Paul's  Church Ft.  Des  Moines. 

Trinity  Church Muscatine. 

Trinity  Church Davenport. 

Trinity  Church Washington. 

Trinity  Church Iowa  City. 

Trinity  Church Fairfield. 

Grace  Church Lyons. 

St.  John's  Church Clinton. 

St.  Luke's  Church Lansing. 

St.  Mark's  Church Fort  Dodge. 


List  of  the  Clergy. 

The  Rt.  Kev.  HENRY  W.  LEE,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese. 

The  Rev.  WILLIAM  ADDERLY,  Missionary  at  Fort  Madi- 
son, Washington,  and  Fairfield. 

The  Rev.  JOHN  BATCHELDER,  Rector  of  the  Church  of 
the  Advent,  Danville,  and  Missionary  for  Des  Moines 
County. 

The  Rev.  R.  D.  BROOKE,  Rector  of  St.  John's  Church, 
Dubuque. 

The  Rev.  GEORGE  DENNISON,  Rector  of  St.  John's 
Church,  Keokuk. 

The  Rev.  FRANKLIN  R.  HAFF,  Rector  of  Christ  Church, 
Burlington. 


RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP.  263 

The  Rev.  JAMES  KEELER,  residing  near  Cedar 
Falls. 

The  Rev.  A.  LOUDERBACK,  Rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Davenport. 

The  Rev.  EDWARD  W.  PEET,  Rector  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Fort  Des  Moines. 

The  Rev.  SAMUEL  STARR,  Rector  of  Grace  Church, 
Cedar  Rapids. 

The  Rev.  C.  C.  TOWNSEND,  Rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Iowa  City. 

The  Rev.  JOHN  UFFORD,  Rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Muscatine. 

The  Rev.  GEORGE  W.  WATSON,  Rector  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Bellevue. 

The  Rev.  H.  W.  BEERS,  Rector  of  Grace  Church, 
Lyons. 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  BARRIS,  Rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Iowa  City. 

The  Rev.  P.  A.  JOHNSON,  Rector  of  St.  James'  Church, 
Oskaloosa. 

The  Rev.  GEORGE  C.  STREET,  Davenport. 

The  territorial  limits  of  the  diocese  embrace  the  entire 
State.  It  was  organized  into  a  diocese,  August  18th, 
1853,  under  the  provisionary  charge  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  J. 
Kemper,  D.  D.  The  present  bishop  was  elected  June  1st, 
1854. 


-.*- 


2G4 


RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 


There  are  organized  parishes  in  the  following  places  : — 
Dubuque,  Bellevue,  Davenport,  Muscatine,  Burlington,  Ft. 
Madison,  Keokuk,  Ft.  Des  Moines,  Washington,  Iowa  City, 
and  Cedar  Rapids.  Churches  are  built  in  the  following 
places  : — Dubuque,  Davenport,  Muscatine,  Burlington,  and 
Keokuk,  and  one  is  in  progress  at  Cedar  Rapids. 

The  number  of  clergy  in  the  diocese  is  11;  number  of 
communicants,  about  300.  Immigration  is  adding  to  fami- 
lies and  communicants  every  month.  Number  of  Sunday 
Schools  not  ascertained  as  yet.  The  second  annual  conven- 
tion meets  at  Burlington,  on  the  29th  of  May  next. 

Methodist  Churches. 

In  the  following  table  we  give  a  full  history  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  Methodist  Churches  in  Iowa,  as  rendered  at 
the  Eleventh  Annual  Conference,  held  September  27th, 
1854:— 

M.  E.  CHURCHES. 


dj 

X 

"to 

S 

. 

a 

•S 

i 

E 

DISTRICTS. 

1 

a 

-p 

a 

DISTRICTS 

1 

OS 

a 

1 

1 
S 

g 

(2 

1 

s 

g 

S 

1 

s 

Keokuk  

22 

7 

49 

4171 

Iowa  City  

14 

6 

33 

1948 

Burlington.... 

23 

10 

35 

2830 

Ft.  Des  Moines 

7 

9 

41 

2882 

Dubuque  

8 

15 

5 

21 
21 

1518 
1332 

Council  Bluffs 

3 

0 

13 

408 

Mt.  Vernon.... 

4 

4 

30 

1374 

Total  

80 

41 

222 

15131 

M.  E.  SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


2  S 

"M 

g£ 

"SSJ 

DISTRICTS. 

•J. 
1 

i 

"o 

y  & 

3.0 

5"S 

DISTRICTS. 

f 

45 
"3 

|| 

15 

1 

^  a 

£ 

i2  a 

do 

o 

on 

CQ 

.« 

o  o< 

Keokuk  

69 

2650 

6263 

112 

Ft.  Des  Moines 

41 

1656 

4151 

34 

Burlington.... 

80 

2496 

5615 

94 

Council  Bluffs 

11 

417 

850 

8 

Dubuque  

28 

1363 

4657 

9 
38 

Scattering  

4 

430 

100 

6 

Mt.  Vernon,... 

86 

1146 

4229 

48 

Total  

271 

13,254 

36,173 

398 

Iowa  City  

89 

1215 

3715 

35 

RELIGIOUS   WORSHIP.  265 

Catholic  Churches  and  Clergy. 

The  diocess  of  Dubuque,  comprises  the  State  of  Iowa,  and 
is  administered  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Mathias  Loras,  D.  D.  The 
principal  buildings  at  Dubuque  embrace  the  "  Cathedral  of 
St.  Raphael,"  now  nearly  completed,  the  "  Holy  Trinity," 
(German),  and  a  new  and  spacious  church  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  city,  "  under  the  patronage  of  St.  Patrick."  Also 
the  "Mount  St.  Bernard  Theological  Seminary,"  situated 
four  miles  from  Dubuque,  with  ten  seminaries  and  three 
professors ;  the  "  Cistercian  Monastery  of  Our  Blessed  Lady 
of  La  Trappe,"  New  Melleray,  near  Dubuque ;  "  Brothers 
of  Christian  Instruction,"  at  New  Paradise  Grove,  four 
miles  from  Dubuque,  and  "  St.  Joseph's  Female  Academy," 
situated  eight  miles  from  Dubuque.  Beside  the  above,  the 
Catholics  have  the  "  Convent  and  Academy  of  the  Visita- 
tion," at  Keokuk,  and  churches  and  stations  at  the  follow 
ing  named  places  : — 

Dubuque  County,  at  Dubuque,  Cascade,  Green  Oak,  New 
Vienna,  St.  Joseph's,  Shellsmound,  St.  Nicholas,  and  Te"te- 
de-Mort ; 

Jackson  County,  at  Garry  Owen,  St.  Lawrence,  Cascade 
Belleview,  and  Sabula; 

Jones  County,  at  Castle  Grove,  and  St.  Thomas; 

Delaware  County,  at  Buffalo  Grove ; 

Clayton  County,  at  Carnovillo,  and  Guttenberg; 

Clinton  County,  at  Lyons,  and  Camanche; 
23 


266  RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 

Scott  County,  at  Davenport,    and  Le  Claire; 

Muscatine   County,  at  Muscatine; 

Johnson  County,  at  Iowa  City,  English  River,  and  Old 
Man's  Creek; 

Des  Moines  County,  at  Burlington,  Dodgeville,  and 
Augusta ; 

Lee  County,  at  West  Point,  Fort  Madison,  Keokuk,  and 
Farmington ; 

Winnesheik  County,  at  Big  Springs,  and  Old  Mission ;  at 
Ottumwa,  Wapello  County;  Ft.  Des  Moines,  Polk  County; 
Council  Bluffs,  Pottawattamie  County,  and  New  Paradise 
Grove,  near  Mount  St.  Bernard. 

Recapitulation. — Churches,  35 ;  stations,  17 ;  clergymen, 
29 ;  religious  communities,  5 ;  Catholic  academies,  4 ;  Ca- 
tholic population,  20,000. 

[We  have  not  been  able  to  procure  statistics  of  the 
Christian,  the  Lutheran,  and  other  denominations.  If 
those  interested  will  forward  printed  or  written  statements 
of  their  condition,  &c.,  we  will  take  pleasure  in  inserting 
them  in  future  editions.] 


BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES. 


267 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES. 


Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 


location.  No.  of  Members. 

Burlington 60 

Muscatine 63 

Dubuque 44 

Iowa  City 28 

Wapello 23 

Marion 49 

Augusta 18 

Mount  Pleasant 35 

Keosauqua. 46 

Tipton 26 

Keokuk 29 

Fort  Madison 18 

Bloomfield 33 

Fairfield 35 

Ottumwa. 25 

Salem 49 

Oskaloosa 47 

Lyons — 

Burlington 23 

Agency  City 34 

Ft.  Des  Moines 18 

Grandview 17 

Rochester 17 

Cedar  Rapids 28 


Location.  No.  of  Members. 

Washington 30 

Farmington 16 

New  London 32 

Keokuk 23 

Muscatine 37 

Iowa  City 20 

Sigourney 30 

Winchester 21 

De  Witt 23 

Kirkville 24 

Maquoketa 16 

Davenport 28 

Richland 11 

Sabula 20 

Troy 16 

Libertyville 23 

Centreville 14 

Wintersett 15 

Le  Claire 13 

Crawfordville 13 

Anamosa 11 

Bentonsport 7 

Cedar  Falls — 


NOTE. — This  table  is  taken  from  the  Report  made  to  the  Grand 
Annual  Communication,  June  6th,  1854.    Other  lodges  have  been 


268 


BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES. 


organized  since,  and  numerous  members  added  to  the  Order,  but 
this  is  the  latest  reliable  data  accessible.  In  this  list  the  lodges 
are  arranged  according  to  their  age  and  No.,  except  that  one  (No. 
9),  "revoked,"  is  omitted;  so  that  Mount  Pleasant  is  No.  8,  Keo- 
eauqua,  10,  Tipton,  11,  &c.  The  next  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Iowa,  will  be  held  in  Keosauqua,  Van  Buren  County,  the  first 
Tuesday  in  June,  1856. 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

There  are  of  the  I.  0.  of  0.  F.  in  this  State,  sixty-one 
lodges,  which  are  located  in  the  following  counties : — 


Appanoose, 

Fayette, 

Mahaska, 

Buchanan, 

Henry, 

Madison, 

Black  Hawk, 

Jackson, 

Muscatine, 

Bremer, 

Jefferson, 

Pottawattamie, 

Clayton, 

Johnson, 

Polk, 

Cedar, 

Jones, 

Scott, 

Clinton, 

Keokuk, 

Van  Buren, 

Delaware, 

Lee, 

Wappello, 

Dubuque, 

Louisa, 

Washington, 

Des  Moines, 

Lima, 

Winnesheik, 

Davis, 

Marion, 

Warren. 

Sons  of  Temperance. 

The  number  of  divisions  of  Sons  of  Temperance  in  the 
State,  as  near  as  we  can  ascertain,  is  not  far  from  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty,  most  of  which  are  located  as  follows : — 

Counties.  Towns. 

Appanoose, Centreville. 

Black  Hawk, Waterloo. 

Cedar, Rochester,  Springdale. 

Clinton, De  Witt,  Camanche. 

Davis, Bloomfield. 

Delaware, Delhi,  Hopkinton,  Uniontown. 


BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES.  269 

Counties.  Towns. 

Des  Moines, Burlington. 

Dubuque, Dubuque,  Hogansville. 

Henry, Mount   Pleasant,  Salem. 

Jackson,...                             ...}  Andrew,  Bellevue,  S.  Fork,  Sa- 

I  bula,  Lamotte. 

JasPer Newton. 

Jefferson, Fairfield,  Glasgow. 

Johnson, Iowa  City> 

Keokuk, Sigourney. 

Lee, Keokuk. 

Louisa, Toolsboro'. 

Lucas, Chariton. 

Mahaska, Hopewell,  Oskaloosa. 

Marion, Knoxville. 

Monroe, Albia. 

Mills, Silver  Creek,  Glenwood. 

Polk Ft.  Des  Moines. 

Q     ,                                            I  Davenport,     Le    Claire,     Blue 

)  Grass. 

Van  Buren  ...                        ...  \  Keosauqua,  Farmington,  Pitts- 

'"  /  burg. 

(Ottumwa,  Dahlonega,  Agency 
City,  Eddyville,  Bentonsport, 
Bonaparte,  Birmingham. 

Washington, Washington,  Richmond. 

Warren, Indianola. 


23* 


270  PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS. 

Or  Public  improvements  in  Iowa,  probably  the  more  im- 
portant and  extensive  are  those  now  in  progress  by  the  Des 
Moines  Navigation  and  Railroad  Company.  This  company 
was  organized  in  May,  1854,  with  a  capital  of  $3,000,000. 
They  hold  a  grant  from  Congress,  embracing  all  the  alter- 
nate sections  of  public  lands,  for  the  distance  of  five  miles 
on  each  side  of  the  Des  Moines  River,  consisting  of  about 
1,000,000  acres  of  the  best  land  in  the  State;  also  the 
right  to  collect  such  toll  and  water-rents  as  they  may  deem 
proper  for  the  term  of  75  years.  The  improvement  of  the 
Des  Moines  River  is  to  be  made  by  the  construction  of  a 
slack  water  navigation,  from  the  Mississippi  to  Fort  Des 
Moines,  by  means  of  dams  and  locks,  and  occasionally  by 
short  canals,  parallel  with,  but  independent  of  the  river. 
The  average  distance  between  the  dams  is  about  seven 
miles,  and  the  average  lift  of  the  locks  is  ten  feet.  Thia 
company  have  entered  into  bonds  with  the  State  that  the 
locks  and  dams  shall  be  completed  so  as  to  ensure  the 
navigation  of  the  Des  Moines  River  from  the  Mississippi 
to  Fort  Des  Moines,  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred 
miles,  by  the  1st  of  July  1858.  The  total  expenses 
already  incurred  on  account  of  the  work  is  $562,457  21. 
It  is  probable  that  600,000  acres  of  the  choice  lands  of 


PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS.  271 

this  company  will  be  sold  during  the  next  four  years,  at 
about  eight  dollars  per  acre,  one-fourth  down,  balance  in 
ten  equal  annual  payments.  This  company  have  also  a 
Railroad  line  along  the  Des  Moines  Valley,  which  will 
eventually  extend  into  Minnesota.  This  road  is  contracted 
to  be  open  from  Keokuk  to  Bentonsport  early  in  1857. 
Particulars  of  either  branch  of  this  great  work  may  be 
had  by  addressing  Henry  O'Reilly,  Esq.,  Secretary,  at 
Ottumwa,  Iowa. 

The  Mississippi  Rapids  Improvement,  is  also  an  im- 
portant Public  Work.  The  Rapids  occur  in  the  river,  and 
are  12  miles  in  length,  terminating  at  Keokuk,  and  13 
miles  in  length,  terminating  at  Davenport.  The  fall  on 
the  Lower  Rapids  is  24  feet,  on  the  Upper  Rapids  about  16 
feet ;  and  on  either  sufficient  to  check,  and  at  times  prevent, 
navigation  during  a  season  of  low  water.  Some  six  years 
ago,  a  company  was  formed  to  construct  a  canal  on  the 
Iowa  side  of  the  Lower  Rapids,  250  feet  wide,  which  would 
give  four  feet  of  water  at  the  lowest  stage,  and  with  a  fall 
of  24  feet  in  12  miles,  would  afford  an  extensive  site  for 
mills  and  manufactories.  Colonel  Curtis,  of  Keokuk,  an 
experienced  engineer,  states  that  this  canal  plan  is  the 
safest,  cheapest,  most  expeditious,  and  most  practicable 
plan  that  can  be  adopted.  He  says  a  substantial  embank- 
ment, well  protected  by  stone,  and  all  other  necessary  im- 
provements can  be  constructed  in  the  Lower  Rapids  for 
$1,000,000.  Lieutenant  Warren  estimates  the  cost  of  the 
same  improvements  at  $4,000,000.  We  predict  that  the 
immense  water-power  at  this  great  commercial  city  will 


272  PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS. 

not  always  pass  idly  by — and  if  practicable,  either  of  the 
above  estimates  would  prove  a  judicious  expenditure,  be  it 
a  public  or  private  enterprise.  An  appropriation  of 
$1,000,000  has  been  made  by  Congress  for  excavating  the 
Channel  in  these  Rapids,  and  some  progress  made  during 
the  past  two  years.  Major  John  G.  Floyd,  Civil  Engi- 
neer of  the  Rapids  Improvement,  states  that  by  an  annual 
appropriation  of  $200,000,  a  well  defined,  safe,  and  conve- 
nient channel,  200  feet  wide  and  4  feet  deep  can  be 
secured.  It  is  probable  a  thorough  trial  will  be  made  by 
Major  Floyd  to  remove  these  obstructions  by  excavation. 

Or  RAILROADS. — As  the  observer  will  readily  decide, 
upon  reading  the  following  list  of  Railroads,  which  are 
actually  being  built,  there  is  probably  no  other  State  in 
the  Union  that  will  put  into  operation  more  miles  of  Rail- 
road during  any  one  or  all  of  the  ten  years  to  come,  than 
Iowa.  The  routes  of  each  of  these  Railroads,  and  also  of 
those  projected  in  the  State,  will  be  found  correctly  drawn 
upon  "  Parker's  Sectional  and  Geological  Map  of  Iowa." 

Burlington  and  Missouri — to  be  completed  to  Ottumwa 
on  the  Des  Moines  River,  in  November,  1856. 

Chicago,  Iowa,  and  Nebraska — from  Clinton  via  Cedar 
Rapids  and  Fort  Dodge,  to  Sergeant's  Bluff — contracted 
to  be  completed,  40  miles,  in  1856. 

Dubuque  and  Pacific — projected  to  Sergeant's  Bluff — to 
be  completed  to  Delhi,  30  miles,  15th  November,  1856. 

Fort  Madison  and  Bloomfield — to  be  completed  in  thirty 
months. 

Iowa  Central  Air  Line — from  Lyons,  via  Maquoketa, 


PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS.  273 

through  central  tier  of  counties,  west — under  contract  to 
Maquoketa. 

Keokuk,  Fort  Des  Moines,  and  Minnesota — contracted 
to  be  completed  to  Bentonsport  in  1856. 

Keokuk,  Mount  Pleasant,  and  Muscatine  Railroad — the 
first  Division  from  Keokuk  to  Montrose  to  be  completed 
by  July,  1856. 

Mississippi  and  Missouri — the  Pioneer  Road — already 
completed  to  Iowa  City — under  contract  to  Fort  Des 
Moines. 

These  Railroads  are  all  needed,  and  each  bid  fair  to  be 
completed  at  an  early  day. 

Among  the  most  important  Public  Works  projected  in 
the  West,  is  "  The  People's  Highway,"  between  the  At- 
lantic and  Pacific  States,  with  postal  and  telegraphic 
facilities,  incidental  to  the  protection  of  settlers  and  im- 
migrants between  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  This  important  enterprise  was  first  projected  and 
will  be  perfected  by  General  Henry  O'Reilly,  who  has  had 
great  experience  in  the  establishment  of  Telegraph  lines 
throughout  the  United  States.  His  memorial  to  Congress 
was  presented  and  favorably  considered  at  its  last  session, 
and  will  probably  be  complied  with,  the  present  session. 
His  system  of  intercommunication  has  met  with  the  ap- 
proval and  recommendation  of  the  Governors  of  Missouri, 
Iowa,  and  Nebraska ;  and  also  of  the  National  Telegraph 
and  Railroad  Convention,  in  which  the  States  of  Missouri, 
Illinois,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Pennsylvania,  New  York, 
Ohio,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Michigan,  Virginia,  Tennesse,  New 


274  PUBLIC    IMPROVEMENTS. 

Jersey  and  Louisiana,  were  represented.  The  present  laws 
provide  for  a  line  of  military  posts  from  the  Mississippi 
Valley  to  the  Pacific.  Mr.  O'Reilly  asks  neither  money 
nor  especial  favor  from  the  Federal  Government,  but  that 
instead  of  establishing  a  large  number  of  men  at  each 
post,  the  number  of  stations  be  increased,  so  that  they  may 
be  twenty  miles  apart  and  only  twenty  men  at  each  post ; 
and  that  two  or  three  soldiers  shall  ride  daily,  each  way, 
from  each  stockade,  furnishing  the  three-fold  purpose  of 
transmitting  a  daily  letter  mail  from  station  to  station,  pro- 
tecting a  Telegraph  Line  from  molestation,  and  affording 
escort  and  assistance  to  immigrants  and  settlers. 

This  enterprise  is  to  a  great  portion  of  the  West,  espe- 
cially the  "Far  West,"  second  in  importance  to  none 
other,  and  having  been  pronounced  by  the  best  of  judges 
as  perfectly  practicable,  we  earnestly  hope  the  project  may 
be  carried  out.  General  O'Reilly  is  now  a  resident  of 
Iowa,  and  the  completion  of  his  great  work  would  give 
Iowa  a  through  line  of  Telegraph,  east  and  west,  and  place 
her  upon  the  great  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Line. 


LIST    OF    POST-OFFICES. 


275 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

LIST  OF  POST   OFFICES   IN   IOWA,   ARRANGED  ALPHA- 
BETICALLY  IN   COUNTIES. 


[NOTE. — The  names  of  all  the  counties  in  the  State  are 
here  given — those  that  have  no  Post-Offices  named  therein, 
are  not  yet  organized.] 


ADAIR  COUNTY. 

APPANOOSE  COUNTY. 

Adair.                  Marvin's. 

Centreville.         Mt.  Gilead. 

Alconus.              Wahtahwah. 

Cincinnati.          Pleasant  View. 
Hibbsville.          Sharon. 

Holaday's. 

Iconium.              Unionville. 

ADAMS  COUNTY. 

Moravia.             Wells'  Mills. 

Milliard. 

Icaria.                 Quincy. 

AUDUBON  COUNTY. 

ALAMAKEE  COUNTY. 

Ballard.               Hamlin  Grove. 

Bellows.              Lycurgus. 

Bear  Grove. 

Bryson.               Markee. 

Bunker  Hill.       Ossian. 

BENTON  COUNTY. 

Capoli.                 Painted  Rock. 

Columbus.           Postville. 

Benton  City.       Marysville. 

French  Creek.    Rossville. 

Beulah.                Taylor's  Grove. 

Grantville.          Union  Prairie. 

Burke.                 Vinton. 

Hardin.               Volney. 
Ion.                      Waterville. 

BLACKHAWK  COUNTY. 

Lansing.              Wawkon. 

Barclay.              Eliza. 

Lybrand.            Wexford. 

Cedar  Falls.       Elk  River. 

276 


LIST    OF    POST-OFFICES. 


Enterprise.         Sturgess    Ra- 

Honey  Grove.     Red  Oak. 

Knox.                     pids. 

Inland.                Rochester. 

Laporte  C;ty.     Waterloo. 

Lacton.               Rosette. 

Massillon.           Springdale. 

BOONE  COUNTY. 

Onion  Grove.      Tipton. 

Bellepointe.        Rapida. 

Pedee.                 West  Branch. 

Boonsboro.          Ridge. 

Pioneer  Grove.  Woodbridge. 

Mineral  Ridge.  Sweed  Point. 

Parkersburg. 

CERRO  GORDO  COUNTY. 

BREMER  COUNTY 

Clear  Lake. 

Jackson  Point.   Neutral. 

Janesville.           Waverly. 

CHEROKEE  COUNTY. 

BUCHANAN  COUNTY. 

CLAY  COUNTY. 

Brandon.             Greely's  Grove. 

Buffalo  Grove.    Independence. 

CLARKE  COUNTY. 

Chatham.            Pine. 

Erin.                   Quasqueton. 

Bartletteville.     Milford. 

Frink'a  Grove. 

Glenns.                Norris. 

Hopeville.           Osceola. 

BUTLER  COUNTY. 

Hickory  Grove.  Ottawa. 

Beaver  Grove.    Leoni. 

Laporte.              White  Breast. 

Clarksville. 

CLAYTON  COUNTY. 

BUENA  VISTA  COUNTY. 

Brookville.         Littleporte. 

BUNCOME  COUNTY. 

Buena  Vista.      Lodomills. 

Clayton.              McGregor's 

CALHOUN  COUNTY. 

Communia.             Landing. 

CARROLL  COUNTY. 

Council  Hill.      Millville. 

Elkader.              Monona. 

CASS  COUNTY. 

Elkport.               National. 

Edna.                  Lura. 

Farmersburg.     Newstand. 

Iranistan.            Pymosa. 

Garnavillo.          Panther  Creek. 

Lewis. 

Girard.                Sylvan. 

Grand  Meadow.  Strawberry 

CEDAR  COUNTY. 

Guttenburg.            Point. 

Cedar.                 Gower's  Ferry. 

High  Grove.        Sodomville. 

Cambridge.         Harwell. 

Highland.            Volga  City. 

LIST    OF    POST-OFFICES. 


277 


CLINTON  COUNTY. 

DES  MOINES  COUNTY. 

Boone  Spring.    Elk  River. 

Albright's.          Kossuth. 

Brookfield.         Elvira. 

Augusta.             Limestone. 

Buena  Vista.      Grand  Mound. 

Burlington.         Linton. 

Burgess.             Lyons. 

Danville.             Middletown. 

Camanche.          Orange. 

Dale.                   Northfield. 

Charlotte.           Spring  Rock. 

Dodgeville.         Oakland. 

Cherry  Wood.     Toronto. 

Hawk  Eye.         Parish. 

Clinton.               Welton. 

Huron.                Pleasant  Grove. 

De  Witt. 

Hartford.            South  Flint. 

CHICKASAW  COUNTY. 

Kingston.            Yellow  Springs. 

Bradford.            New  Hampton. 

DELAWARE  COUNTY. 

Chickasaw. 

Bailey's  Ford.    Grove  Creek. 

CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 

Burrington.        Hopkinton. 
Coffin's  Grove.   Hartwick. 

DALLAS  COUNTY. 

Cold  Water.        Mount  Hope. 

Adell.                  Uncle  Sam. 

Colesburg.          Oakland. 

Boone.                Wiscotta. 

Coluny.               Orrinden. 

McKay. 

Delhi.                  Plum  Spring. 

Delaware  Cen-  Poultney. 

DAVIS  COUNTY. 

tre.                  Rockville. 

Bloomfield.         Roscoe. 

Dyesville.            Springbranch. 

Chequist.            Salt  Creek. 

Forrestville.        Uniontown. 

Del  Norte.          Savannah. 

Green  Hill.         Viola. 

Drakesville.        Soap  Creek. 

DICKINSON  COUNTY. 

Floris.                Stiles. 

Monterey.           Stringtown. 

DUBUQUE  COUNTY. 

Mt.  Calvary.      Taylor. 

Alma.                 Fillmore. 

Nottingham.       Troy. 

Aspinwall.          Glassnevin. 

Oak  Spring.        Weep'g  Willow 

Buncome.           Hogansville. 

Pulaski.              West  Grove. 

Cascade.             Mileray. 

Centralia.           New  Vienna. 

DECATUR  COUNTY. 

Charmingville.   Pin  Oak. 

Decatur.             Leon. 

Cottage  Hill.      Peru. 

Franklin.            New  Buda. 

Dubuque.           Tivoli. 

Garden  Grove.   Nine  Eagles. 

Durango.            Viola. 

Hungarian         Turkey  Run. 

Epworth.           Welds'  Land- 

Settlement. 

Evergreen,            ing. 

24 

278 


LIST    OP    POST-OFFICES. 


EMMETT  COUNTY. 

HARDIN  COUNTY. 

FAYETTE  COUNTY. 

Alden.                Poughkeepsie. 

Eldora.               Rockwood.     * 

Clermont.           Linn. 

Hardin. 

Douglass.            Louisville. 

Eden.                  Mill  Grove. 

HENRY  COUNTY. 

Eldorado.           Taylorsville. 

East  Grove.        Rome. 

Fayetteville.       Waucoma. 
Gamble  Grove.  Westfield. 

Hillsborough.     Salem. 
Lowell.               Trenton. 

Illyria.                Windsor. 

Marshall.            Vega. 

Leo.                   West  Union. 

Mt.  Pleasant.     Wayne. 

FLOYD  COUNTY. 

New  London.     Winfield. 

Freeman.            Gilmantown. 

Floyd  Centre. 

HOWARD  COUNTY. 

New  Oregon. 

FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 

IDA  COUNTY. 

FREMONT  COUNTY. 

Austin.               McKissack's 

IOWA  COUNTY. 

Cory.                     Grove. 

Cono.                  Marengo. 

Dawsonburgh.    Osage. 

Dayton.               Millersburg. 

Gaston.               Sidney. 

Downard.            North  English. 

Manti.                Tabor. 

Homestead.        Prairie  Creek. 

Jones.                 Williamsburg. 

GREENE  COUNTY. 

Kozta. 

GRUNDY  COUNTY. 

JACKSON  COUNTY. 

GUTHRIE  COUNTY. 

Andrew.             Garry  Owen. 
Bellevue.            Hickory  Grove. 

Allen                  Panora. 

Bridgeport.        Higgensport. 

Bear  Grove.       Pennsbury. 

Canton.               Iron  Hills. 

Cobb.                  Lamonte. 

HANCOCK  COUNTY. 

Cottonville.         Maquoketa. 

HARRISON  COUNTY. 

Copper  Creek.    Monmouth. 
Emeline.             Newton. 

Calhoun.             Magnolia. 

Farmer's  Creek  Ozark. 

Fontainblcau. 

Fulton.              Rolley. 

LIST    OP    POST    OFFICES. 


279 


Sabula.               Sullivan. 

Madison.            Rome. 

Solon.                  Summer  Hill. 

Monticello.         Scotch  Grove. 

Spring  Brook.    Van  Buren. 

Pierce.                Walnut  Fork. 

Spruce  Mills.     Waterford. 

Sterling.              Wickliffe. 

KEOKUK  COUNTY. 

JASPER  COUNTY. 

Butler.               Springfield. 
Olean.                 Steady  Run. 

Con.                    Morristown. 

Richland.           Warner's  Mill. 

Elliott.                North      Skunk 

Sigourney.         Webster. 

Elk  Creek.              River. 

South  English.  Wimer's  Mills. 

Lynville.             Parkersburg. 

Monroe. 

KOSSUTH  COUNTY. 

JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 

Algona.             Johnson's  Set- 

Abingdon.           Harmony. 

Cresco.                   tlement. 

Absecom.            Libertyville. 

LEE  COUNTY. 

Batavia.              Lockridge. 
Brookville.          Pleasant  Plain. 
Blue  Point.         Salina. 
Deedsville.          Webster. 
Fairfield.            Walnut  Creek. 
Germanville.      Wooster. 
Glasgow. 

Ambrosia.          Keokuk. 
Big  Mound.        Montrose. 
Camargo.            New  Boston. 
Charleston.         Pilot  Grove. 
Denmark.           Primrose. 
Dover.                 String  Prairie. 
Fort  Madison.    Summittville. 

JOHNSON  COUNTY. 

Fr'nklinC'ntre.  West  Point. 

Carthage.           Newport. 

Green  Bay. 

Copi.                   Newp't  Centre. 

LINN  COUNTY. 

Frank  Pierce.     Solon. 

Hueston.            Seventy-Eight. 

Boulder.             Mount  Vernon. 

Iowa  City.          Seventy-Seven. 

Cedar  Rapida.    Necot. 

Morfordsville.    Windham. 

Central  Point.    Oak  Grove. 

Forfax.               Palo. 

JONES  COUNTY. 

Hoosier  Grove.  Prospect  Hill. 

Anamosa.           Grove  Creek. 

Ivanhoe.             St.  Julien. 

Bowen's  Pr'rie.  Highl'nd  Gr've. 

Lafayette.           St.  Mary's. 

Castle  Grove.     Johnson. 

Lisbon.               Spring  Grove. 

Duane.               Marshfield. 

Marion.              Springville. 

Fairview.           Massilon. 

Mon  Dieu.         Valley  Farm. 

280 


LIST    OF    POST    OFFICES. 


LOUISA  COUNTY. 

MILLS  COUNTY. 

Concord.             Port  Allen. 

Cerro  Gordo.      Indian  Creek. 

Columbus  City.  Port  Louisa. 

Florence.            Ingraham. 

Grand  View.       Spring  Glenn. 

Glenwood,          Wahoghbonsy. 

Harrison.             Toolsborough. 

Hope  Farm.        Virginia  Grove. 

MAHASKA  COUNTY. 

Morning  Sun.     Wapello. 

Agricola.            Indianapolis. 

Palo  Alto. 

Auburn.             Nine  Mile. 

LUCAS  COUNTY. 

Bellefontaine.     Oskaloosa. 
Blue  Creek.  -      Peoria. 

Argo.                  Greenville. 

Fremont.             Rose  HilL 

Cedar  Grove.      La  Grange. 

Granville.           Scott. 

Chariton.            Tallahoma. 

Hopewell. 

Freeland. 

MONROE  COUNTY. 

MADISON  COUNTY. 

Avery.                H'fway  Prairie. 

Bibb's  Ridge.     St.  Charles. 

Albia.                  Sovilia. 

North  Branch.   Winterset. 

Cuba.                  Lucas. 

Peru. 

Gray's  Creek.     Mantua. 

MARSHALL  COUNTY. 

MITCHELL  COUNTY. 

Albion.                Marshaltown. 

Cora.                   Osage. 

Le  Grand.           Mormon  Hill. 

Mitchell 

Lafayette.           Timber  Creek. 

Marietta. 

MONONA  COUNTY. 

MARION  COUNTY. 

Ashton.               Preparation. 

Attica.                 Knoxville. 

MONTGOMERY  COUNTY. 

Bennington.        Marysville. 

Frankford.          Sciola. 

Columbia.           Newbern. 

Ely.                     Pella. 

MUSCATINE  COUNTY. 

English  Settle-  Pleasantville. 

Centre  Grove.    Pike. 

ment.              R.  Cedar  Mills. 

Fairport.             Strawb'ry  Hill. 

Gosport.             Red  Rock. 

Melpine.             Sweetland  Cen- 

Hamilton.           Wheeling. 

Moscow.                 tre. 

lola. 

Muscatine.         West  Liberty. 

LIST    OF    POST-OFFICES. 


281 


O'BKIEN  COUNTY. 
OSCEOLA  COUNTY. 

PAGE  COUNTY. 
Centre.  Nodaway. 

Clariuda.  Tarkio. 

Hawleyville. 

PALO  ALTO  COUNTY. 

PLYMOUTH  COUNTY. 

POCAHONTAS  COUNTY. 

POLK  COUNTY. 
Apple  Grove.      Hopkins  Grove- 
Circleville.          Midway. 
Eckhart.  Polk  City. 

Ft.  Des  Moines.  Rising  Sun. 
Freel.  Saylorville. 

Hartman.  Summerset. 

POTTAWATTAMIE   COUNTY. 
Americus.  Macedonia. 

Big  Grove.          Prairie  Flower. 
Council  Bluffs.   Silver  Creek. 

POWESHEIK  COUNTY. 
Bear  Creek.        Montezuma. 
Deep  River.        Sugar  Grove. 
Grinnell.  Victor. 

RINGGOLD  COUNTY. 
Mount  Air. 

SAC  COUNTY. 
New  Munich. 

SCOTT  COUNTY. 
Allen's  Grove.    Big  Rock. 
Amity.  Blue  Grass. 

24* 


Davenport.         Pleasant  Valley 
Fulton.  Princeton. 

Le  Claire.  Walnut  Grove. 

LeClaire  Centre  West  Buffalo. 
Linn  Grove.        Wolcott. 

SHELBY  COUNTY. 
Shelbyville. 

SIOUX  COUNTY. 

STORY  COUNTY. 
Goshen.  Nevada. 

TAMA  COUNTY. 

Indiantown.        Red  Man. 
Kinisaw.  Tamaville. 

Ola.  Toledo. 


TAYLOR  COUNTY. 


Grove. 


Gravity. 


UNION  COUNTY. 
Afton.  Kings. 

VAN  BUREN  COUNTY. 


Bentonsport. 

Birmingham. 

Bonaparte. 

Business  C'rn'r 

Farmington. 

Gainesborough. 

Home. 

lowaville. 

Keosauque. 

Lebanon. 

Lick  Creek. 

Milton. 


Mt.  Sterling. 

New  Market. 

Oak  Point. 

Pameka. 

Philadelphia. 

Pittsburgh. 

Portland. 

Union. 

Upton. 

Utica. 

Vernon. 

Winchester. 


282 


LIST    OP    POST-OFFICES. 


WARREN  COUNTY. 


Carlisle. 
Dorriville. 
Fort  Plain. 
Greenhurst. 


Lynn. 

Montpelier. 
Palmyra. 
Plain  ville. 


Hammondsb'g.   Sandyville. 
H'ndsome  View  Wilmington. 
Hartford.  White  Oak. 

Indianola. 

WASHINGTON   COUNTY. 

Amboy.  Pottsville. 

Brighton.  Richmond. 

Clay.  Valley. 

Crawfordsville.  Washington. 

Davis  Creek.  Wassonville. 

Dutch  Creek.  Yatton. 
Marcellus. 

WAYNE  COUNTY. 
Bethlehem.         Grand  River. 
Cambria.  South  Fork. 

Corydon.  Warsaw. 

Freedom. 

WAPELLO   COUNTY. 

Agency  City.      Chillicothe. 
Ashland.  Compettne. 

Blakesburg.        Cotton  Grove. 


Dahlonega.  Kirkville. 

Dorrville.  Ottumwa. 

Eddyville.  Pleasant  Lake. 

Fountain  Sp'g.  Point  Isabelle. 
Greene. 

WEBSTER  COUNTY. 

Border  Plains.   Dakotah. 
Cresco,(no  P.O.  Homer. 


yet.) 
Fort  Dodge. 


Webster  City. 


WINNESHEIK  COUNTY. 


Burr  Oak. 

Calmar. 

Castalia. 

Decorah. 

Ft.  Atkinson. 

Frankville. 


Freeport 
Moneek. 
Old  Mission. 
Ossian. 
Trout  River. 
Winnesheik. 


WINNEBAGO  COUNTY. 

WOODBURY  COUNTY. 
Floyd's  Bluff.     Serg'nt's  Bluff 
Sioux  City.  City. 

WORTH  COUNTY. 
WRIGHT  COUNTY. 


THE    END. 


IOWA  STATE  LAND  AGENCY. 

PARKER,  DOLE    &    CO.,  CLINTON,  Clinton  Co.,  Iowa; 
PARKER,  DOLE   &   DAVIS,  Sioux  CITY,  Iowa; 
PARKER,  DAVIS   &.  JOHNSON,  COUNCIL  BLUFFS,  Iowa; 
PARKER,  ALLISON    &    COOK,  LYONS,  Iowa; 
PARKER,  COOK   &  ALLISON,  FULTON  CITY,  Illinois, 


Stenfr  gpnfs  anir  $*sl  Estate  into, 

FOR  THE  PURCHASE  AND  SALE  OF  CITY  PROPERTY, 
Farms,  Improved  and  Unimproved  Lands, 

THE  ENTRY  OF  VACANT  LANDS, 
AND  THE  PURCHASE,  SALE  AND  LOCATION  OF  LAND  WARRANTS, 

IN  ANY  PART  OF  THE   STATE  OF  IOWA. 
Money  Invested  in  real  Estate  Securities  at  Western  Rales  of  Interest. 

Taxes  paid,  Claims  secured,  Collections  made  and  promptly  re- 
mitted, and  a  General  Agency  Business  transacted. 


One  of  the  members  of  our  firm  having  been  engaged  the  past  two  years  in 
travelling  through  the  State,  and  corresponding  with  nearly  every  settled  town- 
ship, in  collecting  material  for  his  work,  "  IOWA  AS  IT  Is,"  and  for  his  '  SECTIONAL 
AND  GEOLOGICAL  MAP  OF  IOWA,"  recently  issued,  we  think  we  are  able  to  give 
better  general  and  particular  information  of  Iowa,  its  mineral  and  timber 
resources,  choice  farming  lands,  mill  privileges,  present  condition  and  future 
prospects  of  railroads,  and  of  desirable  locations  either  in  country  or  town, 
than  can  be  obtained  at  any  other  office  in  the  State.  Those  coming  to  Iowa  to 
engage  in  farming,  milling,  merchandizing,  or  any  mechanical  business,  can 
obtain  important  information  by  addressing  us. 

The  cost  of  selecting  lands,  purchasing  the  same,  or  locating  Land  Warrants, 
will  be— 

For  each  40  acres  separate,  our  fee,  $8.00    Land-Office,  $1.00. 
«        80     "  "  "       $12.00  "  £00. 

«       160     «  «  "        18.00  "  4.00. 

•  «       320     •'  «  "        25.00  "  8.00. 

«       640     "  "  "        80.00  "  16.00. 

For  the  above  prices,  we  make  a  personal  examination  of  the  land,  and  gua- 
rantee a  good  location. 
We  have  Lands,  Farms,  and  Town  Lots  for  sale  in  almost  every  county  in 

the  State. 

NATHAN  H.  PARKER,  Clinton,  Iowa. 

EDWARD  P.  DOLE,  "          " 

SAMUEL  T.  DAVIS,  Attorney  at  Law,  Sioux  City. 

J.  E.  JOHNSON,  Editor  of  the  "  Bugle,"  Council  Bluffs,  j 

JAMES  ALLISON,  Attorney  at  Law,  Lyons,  Iowa. 

JOSEPH  S.  COOK,  Fulton  City,  Illinois. 


¥ 

•A 


,. 


\ 


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